Physiology Commons^™

Basigin As An Immune Mediator In The Cns, Alicia Gonzalez

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Chronic inflammation is a hallmark of many neurodegenerative disorders. Although the central nervous system (CNS) can stave peripheral pathogens from crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) through a network of continuous endothelia, astrocytes, and pericytes, prolonged exposure to a pathogen can comprise this barrier. Basigin, a cell adhesion molecule, is found on the surface of endothelial cells and has been demonstrated to interact with toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). TLR4 recognizes lipopolysaccharide (LPS), found on the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. The activation of TLR4 produces pro-inflammatory cytokines, like IL-6. The present study aims to address the expression pattern of Basigin gene …

The Immunological Response To Chronic Stress In Obese Mice, Matthew Corey Parsley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Obesity and psychological stress are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease and have a positive correlation with vascular dysfunction. This functional deficit has been linked to a pro-inflammatory milieu, exacerbated by an upregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Febuxostat, a xanthine oxidase inhibitor, has been shown to rescue vascular impairment in these models. The purpose of this study was to examine the individual and combined effects of obesity and chronic stress on neuroimmune cell populations, and assess if febuxostat is able mediate immune alterations.

Male mice (n=48) were assigned into either normal chow (lean) and high-fat diet (obese) groups. The lean animals …