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Posts Tagged ‘Antibodies’

Vitamin B6 is a water soluble compound that has 3 highly related components: pyridoxine, and pyridoxamine pirodoxal. This vitamin is essential for complete absorption of vitamin B12 as well as for the production of hydrochloric acid and magnesium.

Also enhances the action of linoleic acid in the body and is necessary for the correct synthesis of nucleic acids (DNA and RNA). Pyridoxine plays an important role as a coenzyme in the oxidation and utilization of carbohydrates (especially in the release of glycogen from the liver and muscles into the blood for use as fuel), fats and proteins, in addition, its presence is necessary for antibody production and red cells.

In turn, vitamin B6 is important for maintaining water balance of the body as it levels the concentrations of sodium and potassium, which are salts that retain and expel water in the body .

The maintenance of body fluid balance is very important for the normal functioning of the nervous and musculoskeletal.

Sources of Vitamin B6
In terms of sourcing of the most important B6 are meat, chicken and turkey and whole grains . Also in potatoes, bananas, melon. The following fish are good sources of vitamin B6: mackerel, salmon, trout and tuna.

It is recommended as supplementary sources dried liver and yeast.

Absorption and storage

Water-soluble vitamins, such as the B6 and other B complex vitamins can not be stored in the liver and excreted through the urine after 8 hours of being ingested. For this reason, we need supplements these vitamins daily. Due to the great importance of these compounds must be extremely careful if you are performing a reducing diet, consuming supplements of B vitamins

Dosage and Toxicity

Vitamin B6 can cause an imbalance or deficiency of other B vitamins when given alone. The recommended amount of vitamin B6 is 2 mg per day. Keep in mind that the required dose of vitamin B6 increases during pregnancy, lactation, radiation exposure, and heart problems when using oral contraceptives.

An oral dose of 100 to 300 milligrams neuritis serves to relieve side effects were not observed. However, high doses and prolonged vitamin B6 can cause nerve damage in some people.

As this vitamin is involved in the production of hydrochloric acid, the people with stomach ulcers should consult a doctor before taking high doses of B6 .

Deficiencies and symptoms

In cases of B6 deficiency is less sugar in the blood and reduced glucose tolerance, resulting in insulin sensitization .

The effects of vitamin B6 include: hair loss, water retention during pregnancy, cracking around the mouth and eyes, numbness in the arms and legs, learning difficulties, eye problems, neuritis, arthritis, heart problems and nervous. Also, some people suffer from a metabolic disorder caused by a genetic dependence to the B6

In cases where the deficiency of vitamin B6 continues during pregnancy can cause stillbirth or birth of delays in delivery. Children of mothers with vitamin B6 deficiency can have seizures at birth. On the other hand, some studies have shown that pregnant women retain more B6 than non-pregnant, so they need larger doses of this vitamin to ensure that the fetus receives adequate amounts.

Moreover, the criptopirrol, compound present in high amounts in the urine of schizophrenics, it seems to “trap” resulting in pyridoxine deficiency of vitamin B6. Some of these patients come to need dose 250-3000 mg of vitamin B6 per day to carry the normal metabolic functions. Importantly, treatment in these cases must be accompanied with zinc, and certain amounts of manganese and niacin may also be necessary.

The symptoms of B6 deficiency are similar to those of niacin and riboflavin deficiency include: muscle weakness, nervousness, irritability, depression, dermatitis, tingling in hands, shoulder-hand syndrome (neuromuscular disorder characterized by pain and stiffness of the shoulder and arm), carpal tunnel and arthritis associated with menopause.

Beneficial effects in the treatment of some diseases

There is evidence suggesting a link between vitamin B6 and cholesterol metabolism, therefore, vitamin B6 may be involved in controlling cholesterol levels and thus atherosclerosis itself. In turn, vitamin B6 has been used in the treatment of nervous disorders and control of nausea during pregnancy, to help in the treatment of male sexual disorders, control of diarrhea, hemorrhoids, pancreatitis, muscle weakness, some types of kidney stones, acne, tooth loss, diabetes and stress in the latter case, treatment should be accompanied with zinc. This vitamin is necessary for the prevention and treatment of shoulder-hand syndrome.

Due to its characteristics of natural diuretic, vitamin B6 helps in preventing water retention in tissues. It also helps women suffering from premenstrual temporary changes, such as edema, and may be effective in solving weight problems caused by water retention. Moreover, the daily intake of vitamin B6 reduces pain and size of the knots that occur in the joints of the hands in women during menopause. Finally, another beneficial effect of intake of the vitamin is in the treatment of individuals particularly sensitive.

With the discovery of monoclonal antibodies, has become the kid’s dream of immunologists, have absolutely homogeneous antibodies occurring in continuous FORIM, and always with the same specificity and affinity. Before this procedure for obtaining the antibodies, was long and tedious. First, we had to inject antigens in animals. This has the serious drawback of the heterogeneity and variability of the antibodies obtained as well as the presence of serum protein contaminants, which are almost impossible to separate. On the other hand, for the amount of antibody sufficient to inject several animals simultaneously, with the disadvantage that the antibodies obtained vary greatly from one animal to another, both in quantity and specificity and affinity. With monoclonal antibody technique, have been remedied all these defects, and as a result, it has opened a vast new chapter in the life science research and especially in medicine.

The discovery was made ​​in Cambridge (England) in 1975 by Cesar Milstein (Argentine a refugee who fled political repression in their country), and the Swiss George Kohler. So won the Nobel Prize in 1984. In the beginning was not great importance to the technology described and the authors do not even patented the process. Today has become a tremendously important tool in biological research and huge projections in the medical field. Suffice it to say that in 1987, the sale of products manufactured by this technology, exceeded $ 130 million in 1990 and over two million dollars. The antibody-producing cells are lymphocytes B. They can be extracted from spleen and cultured in vitro, but do not survive beyond a few divisions. The importance of the discovery, was to make these B cells fuse with myeloma cells (cancerous célu1as), known to be able to reproduce indefinitely in a suitable culture medium (Figure 1). In these hybrid cells was achieved something fundamental: to unite the ability to live indefinitely in myeloma cells and antibody producing B lymphocytes This procedure yielded immortal cells producing antibodies. All this coupled with the fact that each cell produces a specific antibody, so that a hybrid cell separate from the others, you can make an antibody that is always the same. Technical production procedure for producing monoclonal antibodies delay, usually four months (Figure 2). To this end, the antigen injected into mice, even when it is not pure. Read the rest of this entry »

Is defined as an antigen (Ag) any molecule that can be specifically recognized by each of the components of the immune system. In a narrower sense, the antigen is any molecule capable of inducing the production of specific antibodies and activation of T lymphocytes, also accurate.

The antibodies (Ab), also known as immunoglobulins , are a group of serum molecules produced by B lymphocytes. The different types of antibodies have a basic structure common to them all, but the site you bind to the antigen is specific to each, the portion of the molecule that binds to the antigen is called the Fab region, while the area interacts with other elements of the immune system is called the Fc region .

B and T lymphocytes are genetically programmed to encode and recognize a specific surface receptor for a particular antigen, even before coming into contact with him, after which multiply and differentiate into plasma cells that produce antibodies.

When there is contact between the lymphocyte and the antigen, lymphocytes capable of recognizing begin a process of proliferation, called clonal selection , within a few days leading to the existence of a sufficient number to cause an immune response that allows elimination of this substance. Read the rest of this entry »

The antibodies are proteins produced by lymphocytes (B cells), part of the immune system. In the body, the antibodies bind to target molecules (antigens) that are present in foreign objects that enter the body, such as pollen or bacteria. The target molecules (target) are most times, but not all, proteins. The antibodies can also bind to antigens on the surface of other cells, including cancer cells. The binding of an antibody to an antigen marks the target cell or foreign object for destruction and disposal.

The interaction between antibody and antigen is very accurate and is analogous to the interaction between a key and a lock. Any B cell can produce only one type of antibody, but our cells contain millions of different types of B cells That is why there are so many types of antibodies in us. In fact, our bodies have the ability to respond to each of the thousands or millions of different possible antigens which are exposed during our lives. When a particular B cell encounters its antigen, it is played to create a large number of cells. Several of these daughter cells have a long life. They can live for years after the encounter with the antigen to the immune system and provide a type of memory. A second exposure to the same antigen leads to a faster and stronger response. This long-term memory is the basis for vaccines. The remaining cells have a short life and produce a large amount of antibodies. Read the rest of this entry »

Like monoclonal antibodies, polyclonal antibodies help doctors in the treatment and location of certain types of medical tests. Although the two classes of antibodies have a similar function, are quite different. If you are looking for polyclonal and want more information, this article gives an overview about the concept and what is their function. What are the polyclonal antibodies? Polyclonal antibodies are produced when a mammal is immunized.

Normally you use a mouse, goat, or rabbit, but the use of large mammals have the ability to be advantageous since they provide a greater amount of blood plasma. When the antigen is injected, the resources of B cells producing polyclonal antibodies, which are then taken from the animal plasma and purified. A distinction of monoclonal antibodies, polyclonal antibodies are extracted from more than one cell line.

These antibodies assist the physicians in many clinical practices. How do you select the animals? Because animals are a key part of polyclonal antibodies, the selection is very important. As mentioned above, the most commonly used animals are mice, goats and rabbits, however, the choice is not restricted solely to them. Guinea pigs, hamsters, horses, and sheep are also known to be involved in the production of polyclonal antibodies. The animals should show the characteristics necessary for the production of antibodies, which is very important. Read the rest of this entry »

In the fight against cancer, monoclonal antibodies are considered the most conmunmente used. Recently this type of therapy has gained popularity and has continued to grow and evolve from each new discovery. There are new methods that although in its early stages, seeking new and effective ways to use monoclonal antibodies in the fight against cancer diseases. Because there are those who are unaware of this issue, this article seeks to inform you on how to use monoclonal antibodies and what are the benefits to cancer patients.

What exactly are they?
A setback of polyclonal antibodies, monoclonal antibodies are produced in a laboratory, are intended to adhere to the defects in cancer cells, and perform the functions of the body’s natural antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies respond to germs, vaccines and other immune system problems. The first monoclonal antibodies were produced using cells from mice. Such antibodies can be used in the treatment of various sleep cancers, including breast and kidney, among others. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA, for its acronym in English) has been approving these antibodies in the last 10 years to treat these cancers.

What are their functions?
Basically antibodies recruit the immune system to do its work, and work to destroy cancer cells. Monoclonal antibodies (Mab, the English sentence, monoclonal antibodies) work to adhere to cancer cells in order to act as a signal for the body’s immune system acts. They are usually put to use in the early stages of cancer treatment. Another type is the conjugated Mabs that are connected to drugs, toxins, or radioactive substances that are used to deliver these treatments directly to cancer cells. The conjugated monoclonal antibodies circulate through the body until they locate the target antigen. Once attached, ensure that the substance reaches the location where needed. Read the rest of this entry »

The immune system produces antibodies when the body detects harmful elements, called antigens. An antigen is a substance foreign to the body’s immune system recognizes as a threat. Some examples of antigens are toxins from bacteria and viruses , as well as external chemicals harmful to health. When the body detects antigens induces an immune response with antibody formation, as a defense. Antibodies, also called immunoglobulins, are used by the immune system to identify and neutralize these foreign substances. Synthesize antibodies of a type of white blood cells called B lymphocytes

The structure of all antibodies principal is very similar, are composed of a protein with a typical Y-shaped But in the end have a small region of the protein that is highly variable (in the drawing in blue). This allows a large variability, so that the immune system is able to create millions of different antibodies, each with a slightly different end. This part of the protein is called a hypervariable region. Each of these variations of antibody can bind to an antigen different. When an antibody recognizes an antigen binds to the complementary and marks to be attacked by other immune system cells. These antigen-antibody complexes are phagocytized by leukocytes granulocyte type. The great diversity of antibodies that can make our body is due to random combinations of a set of genes that encode the different sites of antibody binding to antigens. These mutated genes also random, which creates an even greater diversity. immunological memory and how vaccines work B lymphocytes are of two types: 1) those who are responsible for producing antibodies to fight infection, and 2) the remain in the body for years as part of immune memory. These enable the immune system remember the antigen and respond faster to the future presence of the harmful agent. The vaccines are based on the ability of our body.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is known to be important for neuronal differentiation, survival, migration and plasticity in both the developing embryo and adult synapses. The BDNF antibody is also proving to be an important tool in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research.

AD is characterized by synaptic loss and neurodegeneration. In 2009, A.H Nagahara et al. used BDNF antibody products in a series of AD animal studies, designed to investigate the possible therapeutic benefits of BDNF when administered as a drug. BDNF was administered to the brains of rats and primates, specifically targeting the hippocampus and cerebral cortex – two regions which are severely impaired in AD.

A transgenic mouse model of AD was first developed, and lentiviral vectors constitutively expressing Bdnf-GFP injected into the entorhinal cortex (ERC). Synaptic marker antibodies for Green Fluorescent Protein revealed that BDNF reversed synaptic loss, with the protein elevated in the hippocampus as well as the ERC. This was to be expected, as the ERC neurons extend into the layers of the hippocampus, and BDNF is known to undergo anterograde transport along this route.

In a parallel study, administration of recombinant BDNF to the ERC of aged rats showing cognitive impairment resulted in improved memory and spatial learning in maze tests, as had been seen with the mice. Similar results were obtained in aged impaired primates.

The BDNF antibody also revealed improved BDNF overexpression improved synaptic plasticity, in an animal model of Huntingdon’s disease. The focus is now on identifying underlying mechanisms of action. To this end, Dean et al recently identified Synaptotagmin-IV as a factor in BDNF expression. We at Novus Biologicals offer a comprehensive range of antibodies and related reagents for BDNF research and related neuroscience studies.