They were collected in August 2007 and were identified by Dr. Celice Alexandre, of the Uni versity of the State of Mato Grosso, Tangar da Serra, MT, Brazil, sellekchem where a voucher specimen was deposited. Dried Esenbeckia leiocarpa bark was macerated and extracted Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries with 90% EtOH resulting in a crude hydroalcoholic extract. Some of the CHE was partitioned between EtOAc and 5% HCl solu tion. The pH of the acidic water soluble material was adjusted to pH 9 10 with 10% ammonia solution and was then extracted with EtOAc to yield an alkaloid frac tion. Based on preliminary results, CHE and Alk were used at concentrations of 500 and 100 ug mL, re spectively, at these concentrations, Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries cell necrosis never exceeded 5%, as assessed by trypan blue exclusion assay, and close to 80% of cells were in apoptosis.

Neutrophil Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries isolation Neutrophils were isolated from venous blood of healthy volunteers by dextran sedimentation, followed by centrifu gation over Ficoll Hypaque, as described previously. Blood donations were obtained from informed and consenting individuals according to institu tionally approved procedures. Cell viability was monitored by trypan blue exclusion and found to be consistently 98%. Cell purity was verified by cytology from cytocentrifuged preparations coloured by Hema 3 staining kit. Cell viability was evaluated systematically before and after each treatment. Neutrophils were then resuspended, supplemen ted with penicillin streptomycin for all experiments.

Measurement of intracellular ROS production Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries To determine the effects of CHE and Alk on intracellular levels of ROS, cells were incubated for 5, 15, or 30 min with either CHE or Alk in the presence or absence of phorbol 12 myristate 13 acetate. Intracellular levels of ROS were detected using the probe 2,7 dichlorofluorescein diacetate, as per the manufacturers recommendation. After stimulation, cells were washed with PBS and stained with non fluorescent cell permeable H2DCFDA for 15 min at 37 C. The H2 dichlorofluorescein oxidizes rapidly to the highly fluorescent dichlorofluorescein by ROS. As a positive control, the fluorescence intensity of cells pre treated with H2DCFDA was measured in the presence of PMA. Phagocytosis of sheep erythrocytes Sheep red blood cells were opsonized with a final 1 200 dilution of rabbit IgG anti SRBC antibody by incubation for 45 min at 37 C, as previously described. PMNs were pre treated 30 min with buffer, GM CSF, as well as with CHE or Alk, in the presence or absence of GM CSF. Cells were also incubated in the presence or absence of Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries two differ ent Syk inhibitors, piceatannol or Syk inhibitor II. PMNs were then incubated with 20 106 opsonized SRBCs for selleck Trichostatin A 45 min as described above. The samples were centrifuged at 200 g at 4 C for 10 min.