Wan Iskandar WFN, Salim M, Patrick M, Timimi BA, Zahid NI, et al.
The journal of physical chemistry. B •
The lyotropic phase behavior of four common and easily accessible glycosides, -octyl α-d-glycosides, namely, α-Glc-OC, α-Man-OC, α-Gal-OC, and α-Xyl-OC, was investigated. The presence of normal hexagonal (H), bicontinuous cubic (V), and lamellar (L) phases in α-Glc-OC and α-Man-OC including their phase diagrams in water reported previously was verified by deuterium nuclear magnetic resonance (H NMR), via monitoring the DO spectra. Additionally, the partial binary phase diagrams and the liquid crystal structures formed by α-Gal-OC and α-Xyl-OC in DO were constructed and confirmed using small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering and H NMR. The average number of bound water molecules () per headgroup in the L phase was determined by the systematic measurement of the quadrupolar splitting of DO over a wide range of molar ratio values (glycoside/DO), especially at high glucoside composition. The number of bound water molecules bound to the headgroup was found to be around 1.5-2.0 for glucoside, mannoside, and galactoside, all of which possesses four OH groups. In the case of xyloside, which has only three OH groups, the bound water content is ∼2.0. Our findings confirmed that the bound water content of all -octyl α-d-glycosides studied is lower compared to the number of possible hydrogen bonding sites possibly due to the fact that most of the OH groups are involved in intralayer interaction that holds the lipid assembly together.
Hashizume H, Fujiyama T, Umayahara T, Kageyama R, Walls AF, et al.
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology •
Alpha-gal syndrome is a hypersensitivity reaction to red meat mediated by IgE antibody specific to galactose-α-1,3-galactose carbohydrate (alpha-gal). Amblyomma tick bites are associated with this condition, but the pathophysiology is not understood. To clarify the mechanism of development of alpha-gal syndrome after tick bites. We compared alpha-gal antibody levels between patients with and without a history of tick bites and examined histologic stainings of tick bite lesions between patients with and without detectable alpha-gal IgE antibody. Patients who had ≥2 tick bites had higher levels of alpha-gal IgE antibody compared with those with only 1 tick bite or healthy individuals. On histologic investigation, greater numbers of basophils and eosinophils, but not mast cells, were observed infiltrating lesions of patients with ≥2 tick bites compared with those with 1 tick bite. Type 2 cytokine-producing T-cell infiltration was predominantly observed in such patients. The study was conducted at a single institution in Japan. In Amblyomma tick bite lesions, basophils; eosinophils; and type 2, cytokine-producing T cells infiltrate the skin and alpha-gal IgE antibodies are produced. These findings provide a potential mechanistic connection between Amblyomma bites and red meat hypersensitivity.
Konradsen JR, Fujisawa T, van Hage M, Hedlin G, Hilger C, et al.
The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology •
The prevalence of allergy to furry animals has been increasing, and allergy to cats, dogs, or both is considered a major risk factor for the development of asthma and rhinitis. An important step forward in the diagnosis of allergy to furry animals has been made with the introduction of molecular-based allergy diagnostics. A workshop on furry animals was convened to provide an up-to-date assessment of our understanding of (1) the exposure and immune response to the major mammalian allergens, (2) the relationship of these responses (particularly those to specific proteins or components) to symptoms, and (3) the relevance of these specific antibody responses to current or future investigation of patients presenting with allergic diseases. In this review research results discussed at the workshop are presented, including the effect of concomitant exposures from other allergens or microorganisms, the significance of the community prevalence of furry animals, molecular-based allergy diagnostics, and a detailed discussion of cat and dog components.
Trappeniers M, Goormans S, Van Beneden K, Decruy T, Linclau B, et al.
ChemMedChem •
alpha-GalCer (also known as KRN7000) is an immunomodulatory glycolipid that is known to potently activate invariant natural killer T (NKT) cells upon CD1d-mediated stimulation. Because Th1 and Th2 cytokines, which are released after alpha-GalCer presentation, antagonize each other's effects, alpha-GalCer analogues that induce a biased Th1/Th2 response are highly awaited. In this context, we report the synthesis and in vitro evaluation of alpha-Gal-D-xylo-Cer and two alpha-Gal-L-lyxo-Cer analogues, one with the natural acyl chain, the other with a truncated chain.
