Exposure to bisphenol A, but not phthalates, increases spontaneous diabetes type 1 development in NOD mice

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is an autoimmune destruction of insulin producing pancreatic beta-cells due to a genetic predisposition and can be triggered by environmental factors. We have previously shown that bisphenol A (BPA) accelerates the spontaneous development of diabetes in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. Here, we hypothesized that...

Broad expression of Toll-like receptors in the human central nervous system

The family of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) plays a key role in controlling innate immune responses to a wide variety of pathogen-associated molecules. In this study we investigated expression of TLRs in vitro by purified human microglia, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes, and in vivo by immunohistochemical examination of brain and spinal cord...

Intercellular communication and cell proliferation in precision-cut rat liver slices: Effect of medium composition and DDT

Gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) and cell proliferation were studied in control and 1,1'-bis(p-chlorophenyl)-2,2,2,-trichloroethane (DDT) treated precision-cut liver slices of rat by evaluating connexin 32 (Cx32) expression and 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation. In addition, the effect of different culture media (RPMI...

CD40 in clinical inflammation: From multiple sclerosis to atherosclerosis

The interactions of CD40 and CD40L have been known for some time to critically regulate B-cell responses with respect to proliferation, isotype switching, antibody production, and memory formation. More recent findings demonstrated that CD40 can be expressed on several other antigen-presenting cell (APC) types such as macrophages, dendritic...

The formation and repair of cisplatin-DNA adducts in wild-type and cisplatin-resistant L1210 cells: Comparison of immunocytochemical determination with detection in isolated DNA

We have studied the formation and repair of cisplatin-DNA adducts in wild-type mouse leukemia L1210/0 cells and in the sublines L1210/2 and L1210/5, which differ in cisplatin sensitivity. In a colony-formation assay these sublines were 9- and 22-fold more resistant compared to L1210/0, respectively. Cisplatin-induced DNA modification was studied...

Role of glutathione, glutathione S-transferases and multidrug resistance-related proteins in cisplatin sensitivity of head and neck cancer cell lines

Resistance to chemotherapy is a major problem in the treatment of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Important factors involved are drug detoxification by glutathione (GSH) and reduced drug accumulation due to active transport out of the cell by so-called 'multidrug resistance-related proteins'. We have studied a panel...

Dormant barley aleurone shows heterogeneity and a specific cytodifferentiation

In response to gibberellic acid, aleurone layers isolated from dormant barley (Hordeum distichum L. cv. Triumph) kernels produced significantly less alpha-amylase than aleurones from non-dormant kernels. Light microscopical investigations using the dye acridine orange as well as electron microscopical studies showed that the relatively low alpha...

Vitamin A and β-carotene influence the level of benzo[a]pyrene-induced DNA adducts and DNA-repair activities in hamster tracheal epithelium in organ culture

Although most studies concerning the effect of vitamin A and β-carotene on chemical carcinogenesis are focused on tumour promotion and progression, these compounds may affect initiation as well. In this study the influence of vitamin A and β-carotene on unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) was investigated in hamster tracheal epithelium in organ...

Ultrastructure of free nerve endings in respiratory and squamous epithelium on the rat nasal septum

The distribution of nerve fibres in the mucosa of the nasal septum of the rat was investigated by means of transmission electron microscopy on transverse and tangential ultrathin sections. Near the basement membrane of respiratory and squamous epithelium, a rather dense network of unmyelinated nerve fibres occurs. Some fibres in the respiratory...

New immunoenzyme-cytochemical stainings for the in situ detection of epitope specificity and isotype of antibody forming B cells in experimental and natural (auto)immune responses in animals and man

Synthetic peptide conjugates with horseradish peroxidase and β-galactosidase for use in epitope-specific immunocytochemistry and ELISA

Synthetic peptide-alkaline phosphatase conjugates can be used to detect the epitope specificity of (i) antibody-forming cells in vivo by immunocytochemistry; (ii) of antibody secreting cells in vitro by spot-ELISA; and (iii) antibodies in solution by capture ELISA. The availability of synthetic peptide-enzyme conjugates using detector enzymes...