MUSCAT: A study published by academicians at the Sultan Qaboos University revealed for the first time that some important human innate immune cells can produce the medcaine growth factor.
This factor intervenes in many important phenomena including cancer, inflammation, blood pressure control and cell proliferation. The study showed that the innate immune cells can control the proliferation of blood vessel cells (endothelial cells) through the production of the medcaine protein and also determined the type of innate immune cells (macrophagocytes and some dendritic cells) that can produce medcaine in the human body.
The study, titled ‘Human monocyte-derived macrophages and dendritic cells stimulate endothelial cell proliferation through medcaine production,’ was published in the US Public Library of Science ONE (PLOS ONE).
Read More
- Qatar FM arrives in Oman for official visit
- His Majesty issues Royal Decree amending penal code, repeals labour law provision
- CPA seizes over 400 unsafe children’s products in Muscat
- Oman, Iran form working group on future Strait of Hormuz navigation
- Tourism and hotel establishments in Oman asked to regularise status under new regulations
The results of the study suggest that medcaine production from dendritic and macrophage cells may be involved in inflammation and tumorigenesis and potentially be important in angiogenesis, a process necessary for the survival of cancer cells.
The research team for the study was headed by Dr. Elias Saeed – Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences at the university.
A group of researchers from the same department participated in it in cooperation with researchers in the departments of pathology, hematology, biochemistry and biology at the College of Science at Sultan Qaboos University in addition to the Forces Hospital Armed Forces in Muscat and the Swiss University of Lausanne.
Medicaine plays a prominent role in interfering with viral infections such as HIV infection and in various physiological processes including reproduction, inflammation, innate immunity, blood pressure control, and angiogenesis. It is also associated with diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis, and cancers.
The production of innate immune cells of Medcaine in these cases and the regulation of its production from these cells leads to beneficial results, including inhibiting the growth of cancerous tumors, especially since Medcaine has a role in resisting some anti-cancer therapies. These results highlight new immune phenomena that have potential and important therapeutic implications.
