Abstract: Compositions are provided that comprise a microvesicle derived from an edible plant. The microvesicles are coated with a plasma membrane derived from a targeting cell and can further be utilized to encapsulate a therapeutic agent. Methods for treating an inflammatory disorder and/or a cancer are further provided and include the step of administering to a subject an effective amount of a composition that includes a microvesicle coated with a plasma membrane derived from a targeting cell.

Abstract: An exosomal composition is provided that comprises a therapeutic agent encapsulated by an exosome. The therapeutic agent can be a phytochemical agent, a chemotherapeutic agent, or a Stat3 inhibitor. Pharmaceutical compositions comprising the exosomal compositions are also provided. Methods for treating an inflammatory disease or a cancer are further provided and include administering an effective amount of an exosomal composition to a subject in need thereof to thereby treat the inflammatory disorder or the cancer.

Abstract: Microvesicle compositions and methods of use thereof are provided. The microvesicle composition includes a miRNA encapsulated by a microvesicle, wherein the microvesicle is derived from an edible plant. The method of use thereof includes treating a cancer in a subject by administering to the subject an effective amount of a microvesicle composition.

Abstract: Methods for diagnosis or prognosis of a cancer in a subject include isolating one or more nanovesicles from a biological sample obtained from the subject, determining the amount in the biological sample of the one or more nanovesicles, and comparing the amount of the one or more nanovesicles to a control level to thereby diagnose the cancer. The one or more nanovesicles are obtained by depleting the biological sample of exosomes prior to the isolation of the nanovesicles. Methods for identifying a tumor metastasis in a subject are also provided and include fractionating a biological sample from a subject to obtain a fraction including one or more exosomes and one or more nanovesicles having a diameter of about 8-12 nm, and then isolating the one or more nanovesicles to diagnose the tumor metastasis.

Abstract: An exosomal composition is provided that comprises a therapeutic agent encapsulated by an exosome. The therapeutic agent can be a phytochemical agent, a chemotherapeutic agent, or a Stat3 inhibitor. Pharmaceutical compositions comprising the exosomal compositions are also provided. Methods for treating an inflammatory disease or a cancer are further provided and include administering an effective amount of an exosomal composition to a subject in need thereof to thereby treat the inflammatory disorder or the cancer.

Abstract: Methods for treating alcohol induced liver injury include administering to a subject an effective amount of a ginger-derived nanoparticle. Methods for decreasing nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor (Nrf2) activation in a hepatocyte are also provided and include contacting the hepatocyte with an effective amount of a ginger-derived nanoparticle. Pharmaceutical preparations including ginger-derived nanoparticles are further provided.

Abstract: A composition is provided that includes a microvesicle derived from an edible plant and a therapeutic agent conjugated to the microvesicle. The therapeutic agent can be chemically-linked to a plasma membrane of the microvesicle with a cross-linking agent and the edible plant can be a fruit or a vegetable. Methods for treating an inflammatory disorder or a cancer are further provided and include administering to a subject in need thereof an effective amount of a composition including a microvesicle derived from an edible plant and having a therapeutic agent conjugated to the microvesicle.

Abstract: Compositions are provided that comprise a microvesicle derived from an edible plant. The microvesicles are coated with a plasma membrane derived from a targeting cell and can further be utilized to encapsulate a therapeutic agent. Methods for treating an inflammatory disorder and/or a cancer are further provided and include the step of administering to a subject an effective amount of a composition that includes a microvesicle coated with a plasma membrane derived from a targeting cell.

Abstract: A composition is provided that includes a microvesicle derived from an edible plant and a therapeutic agent conjugated to the microvesicle. The therapeutic agent can be chemically-linked to a plasma membrane of the microvesicle with a cross-linking agent and the edible plant can be a fruit or a vegetable. Methods for treating an inflammatory disorder or a cancer are further provided and include administering to a subject in need thereof an effective amount of a composition including a microvesicle derived from an edible plant and having a therapeutic agent conjugated to the microvesicle.

Abstract: Compositions comprising a therapeutic agent encapsulated by an edible plant-derived microvesicle are provided. Methods of treating an inflammatory disorder and methods of treating a cancer are further provided and include administering an effective amount of a composition comprising a therapeutic agent encapsulated by an edible plant-derived microvesicle to a subject. Further provided are methods of diagnosing a colon cancer that include the steps of administering an edible plant-derived microvesicle incorporating a detectable label to a subject and then determining an amount of the detectable label in an intestine of the subject.

Abstract: An exosomal composition is provided that comprises a therapeutic agent encapsulated by an exosome. The therapeutic agent can be a phytochemical agent, a chemotherapeutic agent, or a Stat3 inhibitor. Pharmaceutical compositions comprising the exosomal compositions are also provided. Methods for treating an inflammatory disease or a cancer are further provided and include administering an effective amount of an exosomal composition to a subject in need thereof to thereby treat the inflammatory disorder or the cancer.

Abstract: An exosomal composition is provided that comprises a therapeutic agent encapsulated by an exosome. The therapeutic agent can be a phytochemical agent, a chemotherapeutic agent, or a Stat3 inhibitor. Pharmaceutical compositions comprising the exosomal compositions are also provided. Methods for treating an inflammatory disease or a cancer are further provided and include administering an effective amount of an exosomal composition to a subject in need thereof to thereby treat the inflammatory disorder or the cancer.

Abstract: The administration of an Akt inhibitor in a suitable carrier to a rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblast affords a process for inducing rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblast apoptosis. The Akt inhibitor is administered either as an active molecule or as a gene sequence expressible within rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblast cells. The gene sequence can be encompassed within a gene vector such as an adenovirus. A process for assaying rheumatoid arthritis drug candidates for apoptosis affect includes exposing a culture of rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblast cells to a drug candidate and monitoring apoptosis in the culture in the presence of the drug candidate. Apoptosis in the culture is compared to apoptosis induced in a duplicate culture in the presence of a known Akt inhibitor.

Abstract: One major problem with adenovirus gene therapy has been the T-cell mediated immune response elicited by inoculation of adenovirus, which leads to rapid clearance of the virus and loss of transgene expression. In the instant invention, the immune response to a virus is prevented by pre-treatment with adenovirus, adenoassociated virus or herpes virus infected antigen-presenting cell (APC) expressing Fas ligand with induced T-cell tolerance. Administration of AdCMVLacZ after tolerance resulted in prolonged expression of LacZ in tolerized animals compared to control treated animals. In control, but not tolerized animals, there was proliferation of CD3+T-cell in the spleen in response to AdCMVLacZ treatment. Tolerance induction is also indicated by decreased production of interferon-&ggr; and IL-2 by peripheral T-cells isolated from treated animals after stimulation with the adenovirus infected APCs.

Abstract: One major problem with adenovirus gene therapy has been the T-cell mediated immune response elicited by inoculation of adenovirus, which leads to rapid clearance of the virus and loss of transgene expression. In the instant invention, the immune response to a virus is prevented by pre-treatment with adenovirus, adenoassociated virus or herpes virus infected antigen-presenting cell (APC) expressing Fas ligand with induced T-cell tolerance. Administration of AdCMVLacZ after tolerance resulted in prolonged expression of LacZ in tolerized animals compared to control treated animals. In control, but not tolerized animals, there was proliferation of CD3+ T-cell in the spleen in response to AdCMVLacZ treatment. Tolerance induction is also indicated by decreased production of interferon-&ggr; and IL-2 by peripheral T-cells isolated from treated animals after stimulation with the adenovirus infected APCs.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of increasing adenoviral gene expression in a tissue of an animal, comprising the step of administering to said animal a pharmacologically effective dose of tumor necrosis factor binding protein. Also provided is a various method of method of reducing an inflammatory response associated with adenoviral administration in a tissue of an animal, comprising the step of administering to said animal a pharmacologically effective dose of tumor necrosis factor binding protein.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method of producing large-scale recombinant adeno-associated virus stocks by infection of cells with at least one recombinant adenovirus vector(s). The vector(s) encode a therapeutic gene flanked by the terminal repeat ends of adeno-associated virus and the adeno-associated virus rep and cap genes. Transfection with two recombinant adenovirus vector(s) instead of two plasmids plus adenovirus results in the large scale, high titer production of recombinant adeno-associated virus with little to no contaminating adenovirus present.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of increasing adenoviral gene expression in a tissue of an animal, comprising the step of administering to said animal a pharmacologically effective dose of tumor necrosis factor binding protein. Also provided is a various method of method of reducing an inflammatory response associated with adenoviral administration in a tissue of an animal, comprising the step of administering to said animal a pharmacologically effective dose of tumor necrosis factor binding protein.