Biomedical subjects

C Unterkircher

Publications and source records attributed to C Unterkircher.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Antifungal activity of propolis on different species of Candida.

Propolis is a resinous material collected by bees from the buds or other parts of plants. It is known for its biological properties, having antibacterial, antifungal and healing properties. The antifungal activity of propolis was studied in sensitivity tests on 80 strains of Candida yeasts: 20 strains of Candida albicans, 20 strains of Candida tropicalis, 20 strains of Candida krusei and 15 strains of Candida guilliermondii. The yeasts showed a clear antifungal activity with the following order of sensitivity: C. albicans > C. tropicalis > C. krusei > C. guilliermondii. Patients with full dentures who used a hydroalcoholic propolis extract showed a decrease in the number of Candida.

Antifungal Agents↗

PubMed1993

Autoantibodies in the sera of Trypanosoma cruzi-infected individuals with or without clinical Chagas disease.

Variations in the levels and the specificities of autoantibodies directed against a panel of antigens (cytoskeleton proteins, DNA, laminin) were analyzed in the sera from two groups of humans infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. One group was constituted of apparently healthy blood donors (BD) and the other of patients with clinically confirmed Chagas disease (CCH). In both infected groups, a high proportion but not all sera exhibited dramatic enhancement of IgM and IgG autoantibodies directed against all antigens tested. Sera positive for IgG autoantibodies were generally found more frequently in the CCH than in the BD group, except for anti-actin antibodies more often present in BD sera. Anti-laminin IgG antibodies were present in a similar number of individuals in both groups. Although the titers of anti-laminin IgG antibodies were in general higher in CCH, their dissociation constants were in the same range (7 x 10(-8) - 10(-7) M) in both groups. IgG autoantibodies were demonstrated to be polyreactive with laminin and other self antigens as well. Circulating immune complexes were present in sera from both groups and the activity of the antibodies dissociated from these complexes was directed against all the antigens of the panel. Although the IgE concentration was significantly enhanced in several subjects from both groups, the incidence of positive sera was higher in the CCH (60%) than in the BD (39%) group. Our results demonstrate that autoantibodies with the characteristics of natural autoantibodies are found in both T. cruzi-infected apparently healthy individuals and patients.

Antibody Affinity↗

PubMed1989

Identification of antigenic polypeptides of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis by immunoblotting.

Exoantigens from cultures of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis were separated by SDS-PAGE and subsequently blotted onto nitrocellulose paper. Immunologically reactive components were detected by reaction with sera from patients with paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM). Peroxidase-conjugated anti-human IgG was used as a detector antibody to reveal immunocomplexes. Anti-P. brasiliensis IgG reacted with four major components of 70, 52, 43 and 20-21 kDa and with eight minor components. The 43 kDa glycoprotein (gp) was the predominant IgG reactive antigen, recognized by 100% of the patient's sera. The antibody titre to the 70 kDa glycoprotein, recognized by 96% of the sera tested, decreased significantly in patients undergoing antimycotic therapy. Cross-reactions with the immunoblotting technique could be minimized by serum dilution. Both gp 43 and gp 70 can be considered to be markers for human PCM under the test conditions used in our immunological assay.

Antibodies, Fungal↗

PubMed1988

Production of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis exoantigens for immunodiffusion tests.

Growth curves of the yeast form of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis B-339 based on total and viable cell counts were determined. Crude culture filtrate antigens were obtained after 7, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 days of incubation. Different patterns of proteins were obtained by affinity chromatography on Sepharose 4B-immunoglobulin G complex made with immunoglobulin G from patients with paracoccidioidomycosis, with subsequent analyses by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and scanning densitometry. Three major proteins were excreted during the time course of a 30-day culture: a doublet at 20 to 21 kilodaltons (kDa) and molecules of 43 and 52 kDa. The 43-kDa antigen was present throughout the growth period, and its level reached a peak on days 15 to 20 and then decreased considerably toward day 30. The antigenic preparations collected on days 7, 10, 15, and 20 gave better reactions in immunodiffusion tests than those collected on days 25 and 30. The 7-day exoantigen gave a sensitivity of 97.1% and specificity of 100% on immunodiffusion. The main line of precipitation had a very high intensity, showing a total identity with that of a previously purified glycoprotein of 43 kDa. A 7-day crude exoantigen displayed a high level of sensitivity and specificity, being reproducible from batch to batch and retaining its activity for years when kept lyophilized. A protocol is recommended for the production of a stable diagnostic antigen to be used in immunodiffusion tests for paracoccidioidomycosis.

Antigens, Fungal↗

PubMed1986

Comparison between magnetic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (MELISA) and complement fixation test (CF) in the diagnosis of paracoccidioidomycosis.

MELISA and CF were compared using sera from paracoccidioidomycosis patients before treatment and patients undergoing antimycotic treatment. With MELISA it was possible to distinguish different antibody levels in both groups of patients whereas such distinction was not observed by using CF tests. MELISA is thus an advantageous alternative to CF in the diagnosis of paracoccidioidomycosis, including the possibility of testing sera with anticomplementary activity.

Complement Fixation Tests↗