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Readable research linked to original sources
Browse normalized, publication-ready research with direct links to its evidence and source.
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Readable research linked to original sources
Browse normalized, publication-ready research with direct links to its evidence and source.
67 articles
Newest firstMayaro virus (MAYV) is an emerging arbovirus from the Togaviridae family where inflammation plays a central role in disease development. As the cause of Mayaro fever, MAYV triggers strong production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which can result in long-lasting arthralgia in affected individuals. Macrophages are both targets for viral infection and key regulators of inflammatory responses. Human monocyte-derived…
Open article record in new tab ↗Cannabinoids can bind to several cannabinoid receptors and modulate cellular signaling and gene expression relevant to inflammation and lipid homeostasis. Likewise, several vitamin E analogs can modulate inflammatory signaling and foam cell formation in macrophages by antioxidant and non-antioxidant mechanisms. We analyzed the regulatory effects on the expression of genes involved in cellular lipid homeostasis (e.…
Open article record in new tab ↗The role of saturated fatty acid-induced immunometabolic stress in macrophage dysfunction during metabolic disease remains incompletely understood, particularly the interplay between inflammatory signaling and intracellular lipid handling. We employed a tightly controlled palmitic acid (PA)-based lipotoxicity model in PMA-differentiated U937-derived human macrophage-like cells to investigate how lipid excess resha…
Open article record in new tab ↗Chronic neuroinflammation is associated with comorbidities in people with HIV (PWH) on antiretroviral therapy (ART). While cannabis use is associated with reduced neuroinflammation and neurocognitive impairment (NCI) in PWH, the underlying mechanisms are unknown. To address this gap in knowledge, we analyzed monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) from a cohort of 50 PWH and 33 people without HIV (mean age: 61.9 years…
Cannabis use is increasing globally, yet the immunological effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main intoxicating component of cannabis, remain incompletely understood. Given prior evidence that endocannabinoid signaling influences helminth immunity and type 2 inflammation, we investigated how sustained THC exposure alters immune responses to the helminth Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (Nb), which infects t…
Open article record in new tab ↗Bacterial biofilms on indwelling medical devices is a major driver of healthcare-associated infection despite significant advances in antifouling surface engineering, suggesting that laboratory antibacterial performance does not fully capture the determinants of clinical colonization. Here we show that adherent immune cells constitute a previously underappreciated conditioning layer that promotes biofilm formation…
Sore throat, commonly associated with pharyngitis and tonsillitis, is primarily caused by bacterial pathogens. Conventional therapies rely on antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs; however, concerns about adverse effects, antibiotic resistance, and drug interactions have encouraged the search for alternative remedies. Cannabis sativa L. (CS) has demonstrated potential in relieving sore throat and inflammation, w…
Open article record in new tab ↗Although antiviral therapy has improved quality of life, around 50% of people with HIV (PWH) experience neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. This is prompted in part by the migration of HIV-infected monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) to the brain, leading to neuronal death. Previous studies in our lab have shown that HIV-infected MDMs secrete cathepsin B (CATB), which is a pro-inflammatory neurotoxic enzyme t…
The inflammatory response during acute lung injury and ARDS leads to an overactive immune response, causing further damage and irreparable recovery. While there are drugs to target various pathogens that cause acute lung diseases, still, the consequences of infection-induced inflammatory signaling and damage prevention are limited with available drugs. With the rise of cannabinoids as a potential therapeutic agent…
Open article record in new tab ↗Host resilience to bacterial infection depends on tightly regulated immune responses, which can be shaped by metabolic cues, including the contribution from bioactive lipids. The endocannabinoid system (ECS), a lipid signaling network known for its neuromodulatory roles, also influences immunity; however, the receptor-specific contributions of cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R) and cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2R) in host…
Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a monogenic disorder characterized by the production of abnormal hemoglobin. Polymerization of HbS causes sickling of red blood cells (RBCs) evidenced by acute adverse events and persistent inflammatory state, vasculopathy and organ damage. Sickled RBCs cause an anemic condition and vaso-occlusive crisis which trigger leukocytes, endothelial cells, and platelets. Due to these events, S…
Macrophages play a crucial role in maintaining intestinal homeostasis and can exhibit either pro-inflammatory M1 or anti-inflammatory M2 phenotypes. The cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB2) is involved in immune regulation and may represent a therapeutic target in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Our study investigates the phenotype of circulating macrophages and CB2 expression in children with IBD, assessing the ro…
Introduction Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a debilitating autoimmune disease affecting approximately 1% of the global population and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Given the known anti-inflammatory effects of cannabinoids, we investigated the therapeutic potential of a high-CBD extract, termed CBD-X, by assessing its effects on immune cells and disease progression. This study investigates t…
Open article record in new tab ↗Introduction Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is often associated with chronic inflammation and cognitive dysfunction in people living with HIV (PWH). The nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor containing pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome plays a crucial role in the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, specifically interleukin (IL)-18 and IL-1β. Cannabis use and certain phytocann…
Background and aims Intestinal fibrosis, a frequent complication of inflammatory bowel disease, is characterized by stricture formation with no pharmacological treatment to date. N-acylethanolamine acid amidase (NAAA) is responsible for the hydrolysis of acylethanolamides (AEs, eg, palmitoylethanolamide and oleoylethanolamide). Here, we investigated NAAA and AE signaling in gut fibrosis. Methods NAAA and AE signal…
Emerging evidence suggests brain-resident myeloid cells, including perivascular macrophages and microglia, provide a reservoir for HIV infection in the central nervous system (CNS), and their inflammatory activation is a proposed pathogenic mechanism in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). We investigated whether cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2), an immunomodulatory receptor expressed in myeloid cells, regu…
Non-degradable polymeric implantable medical devices are a mainstay of modern healthcare but can frequently lead to severe complications. These complications are largely attributable to the foreign body response (FBR), which is characterized by excessive inflammation and fibrosis in response to implanted materials. The pathologic mechanisms underpinning the FBR remain elusive; however, metabolism is increasingly r…
Aims Although the cannabinoid CB1 receptor has been implicated in atherosclerosis, its cell-specific effects in this disease are not well understood. To address this, we generated a transgenic mouse model to study the role of myeloid CB1 signalling in atherosclerosis. Methods and results Here, we report that male mice with myeloid-specific Cnr1 deficiency on atherogenic background developed smaller lesions and nec…
Cannabis sativa (marijuana) is used by millions of people around the world. C. sativa produces hundreds of secondary metabolites including cannabinoids, flavones and terpenes. Terpenes are a broad class of organic compounds that give cannabis and other plants its aroma. Previous studies have demonstrated that terpenes may exert anti-inflammatory properties on immune cells. However, it is not known whether terpenes…
Open article record in new tab ↗Introduction Microglia and macrophages can influence the evolution of myelin lesions through the production of extracellular vesicles (EVs). While microglial EVs promote in vitro differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs), whether EVs derived from macrophages aid or limit OPC maturation is unknown. Methods Immunofluorescence analysis for the myelin protein MBP was employed to evaluate the impact of…