Laurence S. Harbige

London Metropolitan University · Centre for Health and Life Science Research

Leishmania parasites are transmitted to mammalian hosts through the bite of sandflies. These parasites can infect phagocytic cells (macrophages, dendritic cells, and neutrophils) and non-phagocytic cells (B cells and fibroblasts). In mice models, the disease development or resolution is linked to T cell responses involving inflammatory cytokines an...

We are presenting new evidence on essential fatty acids (EFA) in prenatal human development. We have demonstrated, for the first time, the detailed process of active selection of some fatty acids by the placenta (biomagnification) and rejection of others (bioreduction) and how this strategy is of supreme importance for understanding of the biology...

Beneficial effects of n-3 fatty acids on metabolic biomarkers in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) has been reported. The objectives of this current research were to investigate the effects of n-3 supplementation on metabolic factors, weight, and body mass index (BMI) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), using a meta-analysis of ran...

The rs7041 and rs4588 polymorphisms found in the GC gene, encoding vitamin D-binding protein (DBP), have distinct biochemical phenotypes. The aim of this study was to investigate vitamin D parameters with these polymorphisms, in individuals with possible vitamin D deficiency. The most common (49% of the cohort) genotype in rs7041 was GT, especially...

Vitamin D deficiency is more common in UK black people and a possible COVID-19 risk factor. White, Black, Chinese Asian and Indian Asians were also investigated.

Development of human leishmaniasis is dependent on the ability of intracellular Leishmania parasites to spread and enter macrophages. The mechanism through which free promastigotes and amastigotes bind and enter host macrophages has been previously investigated; however, little is known about intracellular trafficking and cell‐to‐cell spreading. In...

Leishmaniasis develops after parasites establish themselves as amastigotes inside mammalian cells and start replicating. As relatively few parasites survive the innate immune defence, intracellular amastigotes spreading towards uninfected cells is instrumental to disease progression. Nevertheless the mechanism of Leishmania dissemination remains un...

Since the 1960’s experimental rodent and non-human primate studies have demonstrated reduced atherosclerotic lesions and cardiovascular benefit with the n-6 PUFA linoleic acid (LA, 18:2 n-6) and other studies suggesting cholesterol lowering effects of LA, lead to recommendations to increase vegetable oil LA intake during the 1970s and early 1980s....

The consequences of poor nutrition for foetal, infant and maternal health, growth retardation, reduced immunity, infectious and non-communicable diseases are well known and interrelated. Global demand for food is increasing more steeply than at any other time in human evolutionary history. It is estimated between 9 and 10 billion people will be liv...

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is accompanied by chronic low-grade inflammation, with an imbalance in the secretion of adipokines and, worsening insulin resistance. Supplementation with n-3 PUFA in T2DM decreases inflammatory markers, the purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of n-3 PUFA supplementation on adipokines, met...

Daily ingestion of a probiotic drink containing Lactobacillus casei Shirota (LcS; 1.3 x 10(10) live cells) by healthy adults for (i) 4-weeks LcS, (ii) 6-weeks discontinuation of LcS, and (iii) a final 4-weeks of LcS, was investigated. There was a significant increase in expression of the T-cell activation marker CD3(+) CD69(+) in ex vivo unstimulat...

Lifestyle changes have led to a high global incidence of type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Evidence suggests beneficial effects of the intake of n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in patients with T2DM. To investigate the relationship between habitual fatty acid intake and inflammatory biomarkers in Mexican individuals with and without T...

The present invention relates to triazine compounds having sodium channel blocking properties, and to use of the compounds for preparation of medicaments for treatment of associated disorders. The compounds are of formula I: in which R1 is a halo-alkyl group and A is an optionally substituted aromatic heterocyclic or carbocyclic ring system, or a...

Compounds of general structure in which X and Y are each N or C with at least one of X and Y being N; Z is a single bond or an optionally substituted linking group R1 is hydrogen or a substituent group; R2 is amino or a substituent group; N* is amino when RI is hydrogen or ═NH when R1 is a substituent group; or N* is a group NRaRb where Ra and Rb a...

Background: Chronic inflammation is linked to disorders of obesity, insulin resistance and DM2. This reflects as increase in proinflammatory cytokines including IL-6. In Nigeria, there is no study that has measured IL-6 in diabetics, in spite of having the highest number of diabetics in Africa. Methods: The twenty-eight DM2 patients and 13 contr...

The prevalence of allergic disease has rapidly increased over the last few decades causing a significant amount of health burden. This review aims to identify and evaluate the published scientific evidence concerning the effects of diet during infancy on the risks of developing allergic disease in order to provide a better understanding of the rela...

Maternal & Child Nutrition, 9 (S3). pp. 48-49. ISSN 1740-8695 (Print), 1740-8709.

Relationship between a single bout of exhaustive exercise and endoplasmic reticulum stress in skeletal muscle - Volume 72 Issue OCE1 - M. Xiang, Y. Wen, H. Ai, L. S. Harbige

Ghrelin as a novel peptide hormone in obesity and weight loss - Volume 72 Issue OCE1 - W. Liu, M. Xiang, L. S. Harbige, H. Ai

A single bout of exhaustive exercise in relation to endoplasmic reticulum stress in liver - Volume 72 Issue OCE1 - Y. Wen, M. Xiang, L. S. Harbige, H. Ai

Ghrelin expression and effect of exercise in obesity - Volume 70 Issue OCE2 - M. Xiang, W. Liu, L. S. Harbige, H. Ai

Relationship between circulating leptin and TNFα in obese and non-obese human subjects in the UK - Volume 70 Issue OCE2 - M. Chaidas, L. S. Harbige

Circulating plasma cytokines, zinc, copper, vitamins A and E in multiple sclerosis patients and healthy controls - Volume 70 Issue OCE2 - L. S. Harbige, E. Pinto, M. Xiang, M. K. Shareif

Bell, G.; Bueno, Allain; Cunnane, S.; Clough, P.; Emmett, P.; Galli, C.; Golding, J.; Harbige, L.; Hibbeln, J.R.; Kirby, A.; Lands, W.E.M.; LeFevre, D.; Lister, R.; Oppenheimer, S.; Rayman, M.; Richardson, A.; von Schacky, C.; Sinclair, A.; Stein, J.; Sullivan, P. and Winkler, J. (2010) Abstract On 2 July 2009, the EFSA Panel on Dietetic products,...

Relation between visfatin as a novel adipokine and AMP-activated protein kinase in obesity - Volume 69 Issue OCE3 - H. Xiao, M. Xiang, L. S. Harbige, H. Ai

Bell, G.; Bueno, Allain; Cunnane, S.; Clough, P.; Emmett, P.; Galli, C.; Golding, J.; Harbige, L.; Hibbeln, J.R.; Kirby, A.; Lands, W.E.M.; LeFevre, D.; Lister, R.; Oppenheimer, S.; Rayman, M.; Richardson, A.; von Schacky, C.; Sinclair, A.; Stein, J.; Sullivan, P. and Winkler, J. (2010) Abstract On 2 July 2009, the EFSA Panel on Dietetic products,...

This pilot study investigated the effects on salivary cytokine and sIgA before and after daily consumption of Lactobacillus casei Shirota (LcS) in nine healthy adult volunteers. Subjects were asked to consume two bottles each day of a fermented milk drink containing a total of 1.3 · 1010 live cells of LcS (Yakult), for 4 weeks. Volunteers were aske...

Study of low-dose creatine supplementation for endogenous creatine synthesis during heavy-load exercise - Volume 69 Issue OCE3 - X. Li, M. Xiang, L. S. Harbige, P. X. Meng, H. Ai

The aim of the present review was to perform a systematic in-depth review of the best evidence from controlled trial studies that have investigated the effects of nutrition, diet and dietary change on learning, education and performance in school-aged children (4–18 years) from the UK and other developed countries. The twenty-nine studies identifie...

Epidemiological, biochemical, animal model and clinical trial data described in this overview strongly suggest that polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly n-6 fatty acids, have a role in the pathogenesis and treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). Data presented provides further evidence for a disturbance in n-6 fatty acid metabolism in MS. Distur...

To examine the concentrations of zinc and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-6 PUFAs) in breast milk, the impact of zinc on omega-6 PUFA metabolism, and the growth rate of infants. Forty-one mother-term infant pairs from a rural area of northern Beijing, China, who were 1 month (n = 18, group I) and 3 months (n = 23, group II) old and exclu...

To compare the composition of fatty acids (FAs) in diet, and the expression of delta-6 desaturase (D6D) and delta-5 desaturase (D5D) genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) between Chinese and Europeans. Three-day dietary records from 20 subjects from Beijing, China (n = 10) and Kent, UK (n = 10) were analysed. Expression of PBMC D6D an...

Long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC‐PUFAs) are essential dietary nutrients required for the optimal growth and development of infants, particularly of the brain and retina. It is important for exclusively breastfed infants to receive milk of a correct balance between ω ‐6 and ω ‐3 fatty acids. In this study, we compared the composition of LC...

We investigated circulating anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory cytokines, and their ex vivo PBMC production in the absence or presence of the neuroantigens myelin basic protein (MBP) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) and T cell mitogen (PHA) in MS patients in relapse and remission, patients with other neurological disorders (OND) an...

The essentiality of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) is described in relation to a thymus/thymocyte accretion of arachidonic acid (20:4n-6, AA) in early development, and the high requirement of lymphoid and other cells of the immune system for AA and linoleic acid (1 8:2n-6, LA) for membrane phospholipids. Low n-6 PUFA intakes enhance whereas...

Polyunsaturated fatty acids are known to affect the immune response and administration of the omega-6 fatty acid linoleic acid has been reported to be beneficial in multiple sclerosis (MS) and EAE. In this study we have investigated the effects of oral feeding of plant lipid rich in the omega-6 fatty acid gamma-linolenic acid from Borago officinali...

Immunological unresponsiveness or hyporesponsiveness (tolerance) can be induced by feeding protein antigens to naive animals. Using a classical oral ovalbumin gut-induced tolerance protocol in BALB/c mice we investigated the effects of dietary n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) on high-and low-dose oral tolerance (and in non-tolerised a...

Plasma vitamin A and E, the antioxidant nutrients copper and zinc, and magnesium were investigated in preterm babies. They were fed on their own mother's breast milk, or a formula with, or without, AA and DHA. Vitamin A (2.4 mg/d) and E (15 mg/d) supplements were also given. Vitamin A and E levels of most of the babies were sub-optimal at birth. Th...

Clearly there is much evidence to show that under well-controlled laboratory and dietary conditions fatty acid intake can have profound effects on animal models of autoimmune disease. Studies in human autoimmune disease have been less dramatic; however, human trials have been subject to uncontrolled dietary and genetic backgrounds, infection and ot...

Cytokines are important mediators in the pathogenesis of central nervous system (CNS) inflammatory diseases including multiple sclerosis (MS), experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), viral encephalitis and virus induced demyelinating diseases. We have used immunohistochemical techniques to characterize the mononuclear cell infiltrate and cyt...

Nutrition and nutritional status can have profound effects on immune functions, resistance to infection and autoimmunity in man and other animals. Nutrients enhance or depress immune function depending on the nutrient and level of its intake. Protein-energy malnutrition and vitamin A deficiency are strongly associated with impaired immunity and inf...

The effects of oral administration of linoleic- and gamma-linolenic-acid-rich oils on the clinical and histopathological manifestations of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) were investigated in Lewis rats 7 d post-inoculation. gamma-Linolenic-acid-rich fungal (Mucor javanicus) oil at 500 mg/kg body weight abrogated clinical and histol...

Following the advice given by the Department of Health to women who are, or may become pregnant, not to eat liver and liver products because of the risk of vitamin A toxicity, the concentrations of vitamins A and E, and copper, magnesium and zinc in cord blood were investigated. The study was conducted in Hackney, an inner city area of London. Este...

The effects of oil-derived dietary essential fatty acids on the activities of mitchondrial Mn-SOD (manganese-superoxide dismutase) and cytosolic cupric zinc-superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD) were investigated in rat heart. A control group of rats was fed a stock diet for 29 d, and a second group was fed on a fat-free diet. Three other groups were fe...

Current evolutionary theories do not adequately address the question of how the human brain evolved to be larger and more sophisticated than that of other primates. The human brain/body weight ratio is 4-5 times higher than in primates and, relative to the rest of the body, requires up to 10 times as much energy as in other land-based mammals. Huma...

1.1. The nutrient composition of plants that are most preferred by the black rhinoceros (Diceros bicomis) in Laikipia, Kenya, was studied.2.2. Mean zinc and selenium concentrations of the plants from Laikipia were higher than those of control (clover and rye, 1:1) material from the U.K.3.3. Except in Tinnea aethiopica, palmitic (16:0), linoleic (18...

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of unknown aetiology characterized by myelin destruction. Approaches to the aetiology of the condition have noted its differential geographic and demographic distribution; a tentative and inconsistent link with infectious agents; a genetic susceptibility; and a tendency to track with dietary lipids. This review...

Evidence that changes in feeding style alter the membrane fatty acid composition of ruminant tissue is presented here by comparing zoo giraffe with the same species from their natural habitat. The membrane changes seen are similar to those used experimentally to make animals susceptible to basic brain protein and encephalomalacia. Similar membrane...

1. The effect of dietary change on common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) exhibiting high in vitro erythrocyte haemolysis, skin lesions and alopecia was investigated. 2. The experimental diet was low in lipid, high in vitamin E and was devoid of n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. 3. There were significant increases in the concentrations of...

Plasma total lipid, cholesterol, all-trans retinol (vitamin A) and alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) concentrations, and the susceptibility of erythrocytes to hydrogen peroxide-induced haemolysis in vitro were investigated in healthy laboratory-bred common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). The concentrations of alpha-tocopherol and total cholesterol were...

1. Hydrogen peroxide-induced haemolysis (HPIH) was studied in the red blood cells of the common marmoset monkey (Callithrix jacchus) in relation to the composition of the membrane fatty acids. HPIH (%) was surprisingly high (mean 41% +/- 34; median 33.4%) and significantly different (P less than 0.001) from the corresponding value in healthy human...