BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) may be useful for reducing graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). The GVHD and a graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect are inversely related. We therefore wanted to determine whether MSCs can preserve the GVL effect following experimental allo-HSCT. METHODS: After non-myeloablative allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (NM-HSCT) using C57BL/6 (H-2b)-->B6D2F1 (H-2b/d), some mice received donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) for induction of GVL effects by virtue of complete chimerism (CC), while the other groups did not receive DLI with persistence of mixed chimerism (MC). All mice were inoculated subcutaneously with P815 tumor cells and were intravenously treated with either donor MSCs or diluents. RESULTS: Between the DLI-treated groups with CC, tumor-related deaths and tumor growths were comparable irrespective to the infusion of MSCs. On the contrary, among mice without DLI which showed MC, the administration of MSCs significantly delayed tumor-related deaths compared to those without the administration of MSCs (50-day percent survival, 54.5% vs. 18.1%, P=0.0225). In the MC animals, tumor growth seemed to be more delayed in the mice injected with MSCs than in the controls (P=0.09). Donor MSCs injection was associated with increased donor effector/memory CD62L- T cells in MC but not in CC. CONCLUSION: In spite of the observed immunosuppressive effects of donor MSCs, our results indicate that the GVL effects were not influenced by the injection of MSCs but that under a given condition such as MC, the injection of donor MSCs could result in enhanced GVL effects.
Animals ; Chimerism ; Graft vs Host Disease ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; Mice ; T-Lymphocytes ; Tissue Donors ; Virtues

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: In this study, we investigated the beneficial effects of skate cartilage extracts containing chondroitin sulfate (SCS) on hyperlipidemia-induced inflammation and oxidative stress in high cholesterol diet (HCD)-fed mice in comparison with the effects of shark cartilage-derived chondroitin sulfate (CS).MATERIALS/METHODS: Low-density lipoprotein receptor knockout (LDLR-KO) mice were fed HCD with an oral administration of CS (50 and 100 mg/kg BW/day), SCS (100 and 200 mg/kg BW/day), or water, respectively, for ten weeks. RESULTS: The administration of CS or SCS reduced the levels of serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and LDL cholesterol and elevated the levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, compared with those of the control group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, CS or SCS significantly attenuated inflammation by reducing the serum levels of interleukin (IL)-1β and hepatic protein expression levels of nuclear factor kappa B, inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, and IL-1beta (P < 0.05). In particular, the serum level of tumor necrosis factor-alpha was reduced only in the 100 mg/kg BW/day of SCS-fed group, whereas the IL-6 level was reduced in the 100 and 200 mg/kg BW/day of SCS-fed groups (P < 0.05). In addition, lipid peroxidation and nitric oxide production were attenuated in the livers of the CS and SCS groups mediated by the upregulation of hepatic proteins of antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the biological effects of SCS, similar to those of CS, are attributed to improved lipid profiles as well as suppressed inflammation and oxidative stress induced by the intake of HCD.

In this study, we aimed to characterize fungal samples from necrotic lesions on collar regions observed in different sweetpotato growing regions during 2015 and 2016 in Korea. Sclerotia appeared on the root zone soil surface, and white dense mycelia were observed. At the later stages of infection, mother roots quickly rotted, and large areas of the plants were destroyed. The disease occurrence was monitored at 45 and 84 farms, and 11.8% and 6.8% of the land areas were found to be infected in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Fungi were isolated from disease samples, and 36 strains were preserved. Based on the cultural and morphological characteristics of colonies, the isolates resembled the reference strain of Sclerotium rolfsii. Representative strains were identified as S. rolfsii (teleomorph: Athelia rolfsii) based on phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer and large subunit genes along with morphological observations. To test the pathogenicity, sweetpotato storage roots were inoculated with different S. rolfsii strains. ‘Yulmi’ variety displayed the highest disease incidence, whereas ‘Pungwonmi’ resulted in the least. These findings suggested that morphological characteristics and molecular phylogenetic analysis were useful for identification of S. rolfsii.
Agriculture ; Fungi ; Humans ; Incidence ; Ipomoea batatas* ; Ipomoea* ; Korea* ; Mothers ; Soil ; Virulence