Shokoofe Noori; Mohammad Taghikhani; Zuhair M. Hassan; Abdolamir Allameh; Ali Mostafaei
Volume 6, Issue 4 , December 2009, , Pages 216-224
Abstract
Background: Artemisia diffusa contains a new type of sesquiterpene lactone with an endoperoxide group (Tehranolide). Objective: Due to the existing similarity between the structures of Tehranolide and Artemisinin, it was hypothesized that Tehranolide would have similar effects as Artemisinin. In this ...
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Background: Artemisia diffusa contains a new type of sesquiterpene lactone with an endoperoxide group (Tehranolide). Objective: Due to the existing similarity between the structures of Tehranolide and Artemisinin, it was hypothesized that Tehranolide would have similar effects as Artemisinin. In this study, the immunotherapeutic effec-tiveness of Tehranolide was investigated by direct intra-tumoral injection. Methods: Tehranolide was purified from Artemisia diffusa, and its effect on the tumor volume was investigated. The splenocyte proliferation, shifting of cytokine profile, and the presence of naturally-occurring CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Treg cells were assessed to describe the anti-tumor immune response. Results: Analysis of immune response showed that, intra-tumoral injection of Tehranolide decreased the rate of tumor growth compared to control group. Furthermore, the proliferative response of mice treated with Tehranolide was en-hanced. In comparison with the control group, production of both IL-4 and IFN-γ was in-duced (p<0.05). The results indicated a decrease in tumor CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T lym-phocytes in the Tehranolide-treated group compared to the control group. Conclusion: Treatment of tumors with Tehranolide attenuated CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Treg cell-mediated immune suppression and elicited a persistent anti-tumor immunity against can-cer.
Faramarz Dobakhti; Soheila Ajdari; Mohammad Taghikhani; Shahnaz Rafiei; Khosrow Bayati; Mortez Rafiee-Tehrani
Volume 3, Issue 3 , September 2006, , Pages 114-120
Abstract
Background: Different methods have been used for BCG vaccination. Alginate microspheres are useful in delivery of vaccines to the gastrointestinal tract by oral route. Objective: To compare the immune response following oral microencapsulated and subcutaneous (SC) route administration of BCG vaccine ...
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Background: Different methods have been used for BCG vaccination. Alginate microspheres are useful in delivery of vaccines to the gastrointestinal tract by oral route. Objective: To compare the immune response following oral microencapsulated and subcutaneous (SC) route administration of BCG vaccine in BALB/c mice. Methods: Alginate microspheres were produced by an internal emulsification method within olive oil. Four groups of mice were studied, including two groups receiving oral gavages of microencapsulated and free BCG, one receiving SC injection of BCG, and a control group. T cell proliferation, specific anti-BCG total IgG, and IgG subclasses (IgG1 and IgG2a) were compared between groups 5 and 12 weeks after vaccination. Results: The best result was achieved using oral microencapsulated form in comparison with oral BCG alone. Conclusion: Delivery of oral BCG with alginate microspheres is an effective way to induce immune response in BALB/c mice.
