Prognostic and Clinical Implications of UNC13C expression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients.

Aberrant expression of UNC13C (Unc-13 Homolog C) has been observed during the progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma. However, the expression pattern and clinical relevance of UNC13C in Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain to be elucidated. The purpose of this study is to examine UNC13C expression in HCC and explore its role in clinicopathological factor or prognosis in HCC. Two hundred and sixty-five patients diagnosed with HCC were included in the present study. The expression of UNC13C in HCC tissues was analyzed by immunohistochemistry analysis. The relationship between UNC13C protein and clinicopathological characteristics in HCC was investigated. Moreover, the high expression of UNC13C was significantly correlated with T stage, AJCC stage and overall survival rates. Cox regression analysis identified UNC13C as an independent prognostic indicator for HCC patients. UNC13C might be a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in HCC. Further studies with larger sample sets are needed to understand the clinical implications of UNC13C in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Anticancer effects of picrasidine I on oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Picrasidine I is a dimeric alkaloid derived from a Southern Asian plant Picrasma quassioides and demonstrated to possess pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory and anti-osteoclastogenic effects. However, its potential anticancer effect remains unclear. In the present study, anticancer activity of picrasidine I was assessed by treating oral squamous cell carcinoma cells with different concentrations of picrasidine I (20, 30, and 40 µM) for 24, 48, and 72 h. The findings revealed that picrasidine I reduced the cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. Picrasidine I exerted its cytotoxic effect through arresting cell cycle at G2/M phase by downregulating cyclin A, cyclin B, CDK4, and CDK6, and inducing apoptosis in oral cancer cells. The induction of apoptosis was evidenced by increasing expression of death receptors, disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential, increased activation of PARP and caspases 3, 8, and 9, enhanced expression of proapoptotic mediators (Bak and Bim L/S), and reduced expression of antiapoptotic mediators (Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL). Moreover, analysis of MAPK signaling pathway revealed that picrasidine I-mediated proapoptotic activities by downregulating JNK phosphorylation. Taken together, the study identifies picrasidine I as a potent anticancer agent that can be used as a therapeutic intervention against oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Tanshinone IIA inhibits Leu27IGF-II-induced insulin-like growth factor receptor II signaling and myocardial apoptosis via estrogen receptor-mediated Akt activation.

Different stress condition stimulates the expression level of insulin-like growth factor receptor II (IGF-IIR) in cardiomyoblasts that lead to apoptosis. Tanshinone IIA (TSN), a pharmacologically active component from Danshen, has been shown cardioprotective effects against cardiac apoptosis induced by several stress conditions. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the cardioprotective effects of TSN IIA mediated through the estrogen receptor (ER) in order to inhibit the Leu27IGF-II-enhanced IGF-IIR-mediated cardiac apoptosis. The estrogenic activity of TSN IIA was examined after myocardial cells were pretreated with the ER antagonist, and inhibited the phospho-inositide-3 kinase (PI3K). Here, we found that TSN IIA significantly induced ER that phosphorylated Akt. Further, Akt activation considerably suppressed the Leu27IGF-II induced IGF-IIR expression level and the downstream effectors, including Gαq and calcineurin as well as mitochondrial dependent apoptosis proteins including Bad, cytochrome c, and active caspase-3 that result in cardiac apoptosis resistance. However, the western blot analysis, JC-1 staining, and terminal deoxynucleotide transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling assay revealed that TSN IIA attenuated Leu27IGF-II-induced IGF-IIR mediated cardiac apoptosis was reversed by an ER antagonist such as ICI 182780, and PI3K inhibition. All these findings demonstrate that TSN IIA exerts estrogenic activity, which can activate PI3K-Akt pathway, and thereby inhibits Leu27IGFII induced IGF-IIR mediated cardiac apoptosis. Thus, TSN IIA can be considered as an effective therapeutic strategy against IGF-IIR signaling cascade to suppress cardiac apoptosis.

miR-145-5p targets paxillin to attenuate angiotensin II-induced pathological cardiac hypertrophy via downregulation of Rac 1, pJNK, p-c-Jun, NFATc3, ANP and by Sirt-1 upregulation.

Pathological cardiac hypertrophy is associated with many diseases including hypertension. Recent studies have identified important roles for microRNAs (miRNAs) in many cardiac pathophysiological processes, including the regulation of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. However, the role of miR-145-5p in the cardiac setting is still unclear. In this study, H9C2 cells were overexpressed with microRNA-145-5p, and then treated with Ang-II for 24 h, to study the effect of miR-145-5p on Ang-II-induced myocardial hypertrophy in vitro. Results showed that Ang-II treatment down-regulated miR-145-5p expression were revered after miR-145-5p overexpression. Based on results of bioinformatics algorithms, paxillin was predicted as a candidate target gene of miR-145-5p, luciferase activity assay revealed that the luciferase activity of cells was substantial downregulated the following co-transfection with wild paxillin 3'UTR and miR-145-5p compared to that in scramble control, while the inhibitory effect of miR-145-5p was abolished after transfection of mutant paxillin 3'UTR. Additionally, overexpression of miR-145-5p markedly inhibited activation of Rac-1/ JNK /c-jun/ NFATc3 and ANP expression and induced SIRT1 expression in Ang-II treated H9c2 cells. Jointly, our study suggested that miR-145-5p inhibited cardiac hypertrophy by targeting paxillin and through modulating Rac-1/ JNK /c-jun/ NFATc3/ ANP / Sirt1 signaling, therefore proving novel downstream molecular pathway of miR-145-5p in cardiac hypertrophy.

Identification and Biodegradation Potential of a Novel Strain of Kosakonia oryzae Isolated from a Polyoxyethylene Tallow Amine Paddy Soil.

Polyoxyethylene tallow amine (POEA) is a nonionic surfactant added to insecticide and herbicide formulations. Experimental data have been shown the toxic effects of POEA on aquatic organisms and remain to be a serious concern. In this study, total of thirty-two potential bacteria that were isolated from herbicide-contaminated soil samples showed the ability to use POEA as the sole carbon and energy source. In which, a bacterial strain LA was further investigated based on the efficiency utilization of POEA and classified as Kosakonia oryzae by the 16S rRNA gene. Response surface methodology was successfully applied to understand the interaction of distinct factors on POEA degradation by LA strain. Degradation of POEA was confirmed with UV-Visible spectrophotometric analysis and HPLC analysis. The POEA utilization mechanism was explored by target gene detection and carbon source utilization. The results indicate that strain LA has the potential to serve as an in situ candidate for bioremediation polluted by POEA.

Anti-apoptotic and pro-survival effects of longan flower extracts on rat hearts with fructose-induced metabolic syndrome.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of longan flower (LF) water extract on cardiac apoptotic and survival pathways in rat models of fructose-induced metabolic syndrome. The study findings revealed that the levels of glucose, insulin, triglyceride, and cholesterol and TUNEL-positive apoptotic cells were significantly increased in the HF group compared with the control group; whereas, the levels were decreased in the HFLF group. The expressions of Fas, FADD, and activated caspases 8 and 3, as well as the expressions of Bax, Bak, Bax/Bcl-2, Bak/Bcl-xL, cytosolic cytochrome c, and activated caspases 9 and 3 were increased in the HF group were significantly reversed in HFLF administrated group. Furthermore, LF extract increased IGF-1R, p-PI3K, p-Akt, Bcl-2, and Bcl-xL expression compared to HF group. Taken together, the present findings help identify LF as a potential cardioprotective agent that can be effectively used in treating fructose-induced metabolic syndrome.

Cell Cycle Regulation in the Estrogen Receptor Beta (ESR2)-Overexpressing Hep3B Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Line.

Epidemiological studies and experimental data have shown that the incidences of hepatocellular carcinoma in men are more frequent than in women. Evidence suggests that imbalance of hormones, including estrogen, androgen, prolactin, and growth hormone, modifies liver tumorigenesis. In this present study, we investigated how estrogen and estrogen receptor 2 (ESR2), regulates the cell cycle mechanism in Hep3B hepatocellular carcinoma cell line. Our results showed that ESR2 overexpression in the presence of 10⁻8 M 17-ß-estradiol downregulated c-myc and cyclin D1 expression and simultaneously upregulated p27 expression. However, flow cytometry and MTT assays showed only minor G1 phase arrest without affecting cell viability. Taken together, these observations indicate that ESR2 is required to lower tumorigenesis in males by altering cell cycle proteins in a ligand-dependent manner.

Increased NOTCH1 expression is associated with low survival in moderate/ poor differentiated human oral squamous cell carcinoma patients.

Notch deregulation has been reported in various types of cancers, including Oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs). The role of Notch1 signaling in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains poorly understood. In this study, NOTCH1 was aberrantly expressed in human oral cancer tissues compared with that in normal marginal tissues and was associated with poor prognosis. The positive Notch 1 expression was significantly associated with poor tumor differentiation status. Kaplan-Meier survival curves revealed that elevated cytoplasmic NOTCH1 expression levels in OSCC patients were associated with poor overall survival. Moreover, multivariate COX proportional hazard models revealed that T N status, AJCC stage histological grade were independent prognostic factors for survival. Our result clearly demonstrates the oncogenic role of Notch1 in oral cancer and Notch1 may be a useful biomarker to target oral cancer patients.

Induction of Human Umbilical Mesenchymal Stem Cell Differentiation Into Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells Using a Transwell-Based Co-culture System.

There is an increasing interest in generating retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells from stem cells for treating degenerative eye diseases. However, whether human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (HUCMSCs) can differentiate into RPE-like cells in a co-culture system has not been fully understood. In this study, induction of HUCMSC differentiation into RPE-like cells was performed by co-culturing HUCMSCs and a human RPE-like cell line (ARPE19) in a transwell system and then analyzed for biomarkers using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunofluorescence staining technique. Moreover, the functional characterization of induced cells was carried out by examining their phagocytic and neurotrophic factor-secreting activities. Our results showed that mRNA expressions of RPE-specific markers-MITF, OTX2, RPE65, PEDF, PME17, and CRALBP-and protein markers-RPE65, CRALBP, and ZO-1-were significantly increased in HUCMSC-derived RPE-like cells. Functional characteristic studies showed that these induced cells were capable of engulfing photoreceptor outer segments and secreting brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), which are typical functions of RPE-like cells. Overall, the study findings indicate that the morphology and proliferation of HUCMSCs can be maintained in a serum-free medium, and differentiation into RPE-like cells can be induced by simply co-culturing HUCMSCs with ARPE19 cells. Thus, the study provides fundamental information regarding the clinical-scale generation of RPE-like cells from HUCMSCs.

Arecoline induces cardiotoxicity by upregulating and activating cardiac hypertrophy-related pathways in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Habitual chewing of the areca nut increases the risk of mortality owing to cardiovascular disease, but few reports have revealed the cardiotoxicity mechanism of the areca nut. Arecoline has been reported to be the primary toxic constituent in the areca nut. In order to study the acute cardiotoxicity of the areca nut in the development of pathologic heart hypertrophy, we induced heart injury in rats using arecoline. Arecoline at a low dosage (5 mg/kg/day) or a high dosage (50 mg/kg/day) was intraperitoneally injected to Sprague-Dawley rats for 21 days. The change of heart function and biochemical pathways were investigated with echocardiography and Western blot. The results were presented that heart functions were weakened by arecoline stimulation, and western blotting analysis revealed an elevation in BNP levels in the heart after arecoline exposure. Arecoline induced IL-6-mediated activation of the MEK5/ERK5 and JAK2/STAT3 pathways, as well as mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling cascades. Further, arecoline increased the calcineurin and NFATc3 levels in the heart. In summary, our results suggest that arecoline causes significantly cardiotoxicity and heart damage by inducing several hypertrophy-related signaling pathways, including IL-6-induced MEK5/ERK5, JAK2/STAT3, mitogen-activated protein kinases, and calcineurin signaling pathways. The study elucidated, for the first time, the possible cardiac hypertrophy mechanisms underlying the cardiotoxicity of the areca nut.

AGR2 expression as a predictive biomarker for therapy response in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Despite multidisciplinary therapy, the prognosis is poor for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). In the locally advanced stage, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) followed by surgery could provide survival benefits to some patients. Here, we aimed to identify for tumor therapy response a biomarker based on RNA sequencing. We collected endoscopic biopsies of 32 ESCC patients, who were divided according to nCRT response, into two groups: the complete response group (n = 13) and the non-complete response group (n = 19). RNA-sequencing data showed that 464 genes were differentially expressed. Increased in non-complete response group, 4 genes increased expressions were AGR2 (anterior gradient 2), GADD45B (growth arrest and DNA damage inducible beta), PPP1R15A (protein phosphatase 1 regulatory subunit 15A) and LRG1 (leucine rich alpha-2-glycoprotein 1). The areas under the curve (AUC) of the AGR2 gene was 0.671 according to read counts of RNA-seq and therapy response of nCRT. In vitro study showed that apoptosis cell was significantly increased in the AGR2-knockdown TE-2 cell line treated with cisplatin and 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), when compared with si-control. Results suggest that in ESCC, the AGR2 gene is a promising and predictive gene marker for the response to anti-tumor therapy.

Antroquinonol inhibits NSCLC proliferation by altering PI3K/mTOR proteins and miRNA expression profiles.

Antroquinonol a derivative of Antrodia camphorata has been reported to have antitumor effects against various cancer cells. However, the effect of antroquinonol on cell signalling and survival pathways in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells has not been fully demarcated. Here we report that antroquinonol treatment significantly reduced the proliferation of three NSCLC cells. Treatment of A549 cells with antroquinonol increased cell shrinkage, apoptotic vacuoles, pore formation, TUNEL positive cells and increased Sub-G1 cell population with respect to time and dose dependent manner. Antroquinonol treatment not only increased the Sub-G1 accumulation but also reduced the protein levels of cdc2 without altering the expression of cyclin B1, cdc25C, pcdc2, and pcdc25C. Antroquinonol induced apoptosis was associated with disrupted mitochondrial membrane potential and activation of Caspase 3 and PARP cleavage in A549 cells. Moreover, antroquinonol treatment down regulated the expression of Bcl2 proteins, which was correlated with the decreased PI3K and mTOR protein levels without altering pro apoptotic and anti apoptotic proteins. Results from the microarray analysis demonstrated that antroquinonol altered the expression level of miRNAs compared with untreated control in A549 cells. The data collectively suggested the antiproliferative effect of antroquinonol on NSCLC A549 cells, which provides useful information for understanding the anticancer mechanism influenced by antroquinonol and is the first report to suggest that antroquinonol may be a promising chemotherapeutic agent for lung cancer.

Neuroprotective Effects of a Small Mitochondrially-Targeted Tetrapeptide Elamipretide in Neurodegeneration.

Neural mitochondrial dysfunction, neural oxidative stress, chronic neuroinflammation, toxic protein accumulation, and neural apoptosis are common causes of neurodegeneration. Elamipretide, a small mitochondrially-targeted tetrapeptide, exhibits therapeutic effects and safety in several mitochondria-related diseases. In neurodegeneration, extensive studies have shown that elamipretide enhanced mitochondrial respiration, activated neural mitochondrial biogenesis via mitochondrial biogenesis regulators (PCG-1α and TFAM) and the translocate factors (TOM-20), enhanced mitochondrial fusion (MNF-1, MNF-2, and OPA1), inhibited mitochondrial fission (Fis-1 and Drp-1), as well as increased mitophagy (autophagy of mitochondria). In addition, elamipretide has been shown to attenuate neural oxidative stress (hydrogen peroxide, lipid peroxidation, and ROS), neuroinflammation (TNF, IL-6, COX-2, iNOS, NLRP3, cleaved caspase-1, IL-1ß, and IL-18), and toxic protein accumulation (Aß). Consequently, elamipretide could prevent neural apoptosis (cytochrome c, Bax, caspase 9, and caspase 3) and enhance neural pro-survival (Bcl2, BDNF, and TrkB) in neurodegeneration. These findings suggest that elamipretide may prevent the progressive development of neurodegenerative diseases via enhancing mitochondrial respiration, mitochondrial biogenesis, mitochondrial fusion, and neural pro-survival pathway, as well as inhibiting mitochondrial fission, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, toxic protein accumulation, and neural apoptosis. Elamipretide or mitochondrially-targeted peptide might be a targeted agent to attenuate neurodegenerative progression.

7-Epitaxol Induces Apoptosis and Autophagy in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma through Inhibition of the ERK Pathway.

As the main derivative of paclitaxel, 7-Epitaxol is known to a have higher stability and cytotoxicity. However, the anticancer effect of 7-Epitaxol is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to explore the anticancer effects of 7-Epitaxol in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC). Our study findings revealed that 7-Epitaxol potently suppressed cell viability in SCC-9 and SCC-47 cells by inducing cell cycle arrest. Flow cytometry and DAPI staining demonstrated that 7-Epitaxol treatment induced cell death, mitochondrial membrane potential and chromatin condensation in OSCC cell lines. The compound regulated the proteins of extrinsic and intrinsic pathways at the highest concentration, and also increased the activation of caspases 3, 8, 9, and PARP in OSCC cell lines. Interestingly, a 7-Epitaxol-mediated induction of LC3-I/II expression and suppression of p62 expression were observed in OSCC cells lines. Furthermore, the MAPK inhibitors indicated that 7-Epitaxol induces apoptosis and autophagy marker proteins (cleaved-PARP and LC3-I/II) by reducing the phosphorylation of ERK1/2. In conclusion, these findings indicate the involvement of 7-Epitaxol in inducing apoptosis and autophagy through ERK1/2 signaling pathway, which identify 7-Epitaxol as a potent cytotoxic agent in HNSCC.

Sodium Danshensu Inhibits Oral Cancer Cell Migration and Invasion by Modulating p38 Signaling Pathway.

Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) that comprises about 90% of all oral cancer cases is associated with poor prognosis due to its highly metastatic nature. The majority of OSCC treatment options are related detrimental side-effects. Hypothesis/Purpose: The present study aimed at deciphering the effects of a bioactive phytochemical, sodium danshensu, on human oral cancer cell metastasis. Methods and Results: The treatment of FaDu and Ca9-22 cells with different doses of sodium danshensu (25, 50, and 100 µM) caused a significant reduction in cellular motility, migration, and invasion, as compared to the untreated cells. This effect was associated with a reduced expression of MMP-2, vimentin and N-cadherin, together with an enhanced expression of E-cadherin and ZO-1. Further investigation on the molecular mechanism revealed that treatment with sodium danshensu caused significant reduction in p38 phosphorylation; however, phosphorylation of ERK1/2 significantly decreased only in FaDu cells, whereas p-JNK1/2 did not show any alteration. A combination of p38 and JNK1/2 inhibitors with sodium danshensu also reduced the migration in the FaDu and Ca9-22 cell lines. Conclusion: Collectively, the present study findings reveal that sodium danshensu execute anti-metastatic effect by suppressing p38 phosphorylation in human oral cancer. The study identifies sodium danshensu as a potential natural anticancer agent that can be used therapeutically to manage highly metastatic OSCC.

Effects of serum on phagocytic activity and proteomic analysis of tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) serum after acute osmotic stress.

The objective of the study was to analyze the effect of serum from freshwater (FW) exposed tilapia or from 25 ppt seawater (SW) exposed tilapia on the ability to mediate the phagocytic activity of tilapia phagocytes. To analyze the phagocytic activity, head kidney (HK) and spleen leukocytes were tested in 300 or 500 mOsm medium using three different treatment groups (a) control, (b) addition of 25% serum from freshwater (FW) exposed tilapia, and (c) addition of 25% of serum from 25 ppt seawater (SW) exposed tilapia. HK leukocytes cultured in 300 and 500 mOsm media for 4 h showed an increase of phagocytic ability in the control group as compared to the addition of serum from either FW or SW exposed tilapia. HK leukocytes exposed to 500 mOsm medium showed a higher phagocytic ability than those leukocytes exposed to 300 mOsm medium in each corresponding group. Concurrently, spleen leukocytes in the control group showed a higher phagocytic ability than those leukocytes with the addition of serum from FW or SW exposed tilapia. As compared to spleen leukocytes cultured in 300 mOsm medium, leukocytes cultured in 500 mOsm medium showed an increase of phagocytic ability within their respective group. To further investigate the observed phenomenon, 2D-gel electrophoresis was performed for analyzing the differentially expressed proteins in serum that was thought to influence the phagocytic ability. Up-regulated serum proteins in SW exposed tilapia contained complement C3 protein, NADH dehydrogenase (Ubiquinone) Fe-S protein 3, Mg(2+)-dependent neutral sphingomyelinase, Semaphorins, and Caspase 3. Taken together these results suggest that addition of serum decreased the phagocytic activity in HK and spleen leukocytes in vitro, furthermore, induced proteins semaphorin, complement C3, Mg(2+)-dependent neutral sphingomyelinase, and Caspase 3 are up-regulated in the serum, which might have decreased the phagocytic activity upon exposure to hyperosmotic solutions.

Estrogen receptor α (ESR1) over-expression mediated apoptosis in Hep3B cells by binding with SP1 proteins.

Previous studies have reported that estrogen receptors (ERs) are expressed in normal human liver, chronic hepatitis, and benign hepatic tumor tissues. However, decreased expression of ERs can be observed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the role of ERs in HCC is not fully understood. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanism induced by the overexpression of ERα (ERα (ESR1)) in Hep3B cells. We first detected the induction of apoptosis in ER-negative Hep3B cells using DNA fragmentation assay and flow cytometry. We found that ERα and ERα plus 17ß-estradiol treatment increased apoptosis in Hep3B cells. Additionally, western blotting showed increased expression of active caspase 3 and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα (TNF)) in ERα-transfected cells. To further understand the importance of SP1-binding sites in the TNFα promoter, ERα-negative Hep3B cells were co-transfected with ERα and a wild-type TNFα plasmid or TNFα with deleted SP1 regions. Deletion of both distant and primal SP1 sites abolished the activity of ERα, and similar results were observed by blocking the expression of SP1 protein using mithramycin (MA). This result indicates that SP1 protein is essential for ERα-activated TNFα promoter activity. Co-immunoprecipitation assay further confirmed the binding interaction between ERα and SP1 in a ligand-dependent manner. In general, we demonstrate that the overexpression of ERα mediates apoptosis in ERα-negative Hep3B cells by the binding of ERα to SP1 protein. Additionally, this ERα-SP1 complex binds to the proximal and distal sites of the TNFα gene promoter and further induces the expression of active caspase 3 in a ligand-dependent manner.

Acute osmotic stress affects Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) innate immune responses.

Most of the tilapia studies are focused on its osmoregulatory mechanism. Meanwhile, less information is available about its innate immune response on fish faced with hyperosmolality. In the present study, in vivo analyses were carried out to investigate the innate immune response of Oreochromis mossambicus, transferred from freshwater to 25 ppt seawater (SW). In vivo, lysozyme activities of plasma and head kidney (HK) were increased at 1h and at 24h after transfer to SW but decreased at 8h after SW transfer. Surprisingly, the alternative complement pathway in plasma increased 8h after SW transfer. The phagocytic capacity of spleen and HK immune cells increased modestly at 1h and at 4h, after SW transfer, but the respiratory burst activity of immune cells in both HK and spleen shows an increase in superoxide release at 8h after SW transfer. Our results reveal that the transfer of fish from conditions of hypoosmolarity to hyperosmolality significantly enhances plasma lysozyme, ACP activity, and both phagocytic and respiratory burst activity. Taken together, the results indicate that exposure of tilapia to hyperosmotic conditions has immunostimulatory effects on its cellular immune reactions (phagocytosis and respiratory burst activity) and humoral reactions (lysozyme activity and complement activity).