Annexin A1 improves immune responses and control of tissue parasitism during Leishmania amazonensis infection in BALB/c mice.

Leishmaniases, a group of diseases caused by the species of the protozoan parasite Leishmania, remains a significant public health concern worldwide. Host immune responses play a crucial role in the outcome of Leishmania infections, and several mediators that regulate inflammatory responses are potential targets for therapeutic approaches. Annexin A1 (AnxA1), an endogenous protein endowed with anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving properties, has emerged as a potential player. We have shown that during L. braziliensis infection, deficiency of AnxA1 exacerbates inflammatory responses but does not affect parasite burden. Here, we have investigated the role of AnxA1 in L. amazonensis infection, given the non-healing and progressive lesions characteristic of this infectious model. Infection of AnxA1 KO BALB/c mice resulted in increased lesion size and tissue damage associated with higher parasite burdens and enhanced inflammatory response. Notably, therapeutic application of the AnxA1 peptidomimetic Ac2-26 improves control of parasite replication and increases IL-10 production in vivo and in vitro, in both WT and AnxA1 KO mice. Conversely, administration of WRW4, an inhibitor of FPR2/3, resulted in larger lesions and decreased production of IL-10, suggesting that the effects of AnxA1 during L. amazonensis infection are associated with the engagement of these receptors. Our study illuminates the role of AnxA1 in L. amazonensis infection, demonstrating its impact on the susceptibility phenotype of BALB/c mice. Furthermore, our results indicate that targeting the AnxA1 pathway by using the Ac2-26 peptide could represent a promising alternative for new treatments for leishmaniasis.

Mapping Alterations Induced by Long-Term Axenic Cultivation of Leishmania amazonensis Promastigotes With a Multiplatform Metabolomic Fingerprint Approach.

Leishmaniases are widespread neglected diseases with an incidence of 1.6 million new cases and 40 thousand deaths per year. Leishmania parasites may show distinct, species-specific patterns of virulence that lead to different clinical manifestations. It is well known that successive in vitro passages (SIVP) lead to the attenuation of virulence, but neither the metabolism nor the pathways involved in these processes are well understood. Herein, promastigotes of a virulent L. amazonensis strain recently isolated from mice was compared to SIVP derived and attenuated promastigotes, submitted to 10, 40, and 60 axenic passages and named R10, R40, and R60, respectively. In vitro assays and in vivo tests were performed to characterize and confirmed the attenuation profiles. A metabolomic fingerprint comparison of R0, R10, and R60 was performed by means of capillary electrophoresis, liquid and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. To validate the metabolomic data, qPCR for selected loci, flow cytometry to measure aPS exposure, sensitivity to antimony tartrate and ROS production assays were conducted. The 65 identified metabolites were clustered in biochemical categories and mapped in eight metabolic pathways: ABC transporters; fatty acid biosynthesis; glycine, serine and threonine metabolism; ß-alanine metabolism; glutathione metabolism; oxidative phosphorylation; glycerophospholipid metabolism and lysine degradation. The obtained metabolomic data correlated with previous proteomic findings of the SVIP parasites and the gene expression of 13 selected targets. Late SIVP cultures were more sensitive to SbIII produced more ROS and exposed less phosphatidylserine in their surface. The correspondent pathways were connected to build a biochemical map of the most significant alterations involved with the process of attenuation of L. amazonensis. Overall, the reported data pointed out to a very dynamic and continuous metabolic reprogramming process, accompanied by changes in energetic, lipid and redox metabolisms, membrane remodeling and reshaping of parasite-host cells interactions, causing impacts in chemotaxis, host inflammatory responses and infectivity at the early stages of infection.

Methotrexate Locally Released from Poly(ε-Caprolactone) Implants: Inhibition of the Inflammatory Angiogenesis Response in a Murine Sponge Model and the Absence of Systemic Toxicity.

In this study, the methotrexate (MTX) was incorporated into the poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) to design implants (MTX PCL implants) aiming the local treatment of inflammatory angiogenesis diseases without causing systemic side effects. Sponges were inserted into the subcutaneous tissue of mice as a framework for fibrovascular tissue growth. After 4 days, MTX PCL implants were also introduced, and anti-inflammatory, antiangiogenic, and antifibrogenic activities of the MTX were determined. MTX reduced the vascularization (hemoglobin content), the neutrophil, and monocyte/macrophage infiltration (MPO and NAG activities, respectively), and the collagen deposition in sponges. MTX reduced tumor necrosis factor-α and IL-6 levels, demonstrating its local antiangiogenic and anti-inflammatory effects. Furthermore, hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, and myelotoxicity, which could be induced by the drug, were evaluated. However, MTX did not promote toxicity to these organs, as the levels of AST and ALT (hepatic markers) and creatinine and urea (renal markers) were not increased, and the complete blood count was not decreased. In conclusion, MTX PCL implants demonstrated to be effective in regulating the components of the inflammatory angiogenesis locally established, and presented an acceptable safety profile.

Methotrexate Locally Released from Poly(e-Caprolactone) Implants: Inhibition of the Inflammatory Angiogenesis Response in a Murine Sponge Model and the Absence of Systemic Toxicity.

In this study, the methotrexate (MTX) was incorporated into the poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) to design implants (MTX PCL implants) aiming the local treatment of inflammatory angiogenesis diseases without causing systemic side effects. Sponges were inserted into the subcutaneous tissue of mice as a framework for fibrovascular tissue growth. After 4days, MTX PCL implants were also introduced, and anti-inflammatory, antiangiogenic, and antifibrogenic activities of the MTX were determined. MTX reduced the vascularization (hemoglobin content), the neutrophil, and monocyte/macrophage infiltration (MPO and NAG activities, respectively), and the collagen deposition in sponges. MTX reduced tumor necrosis factor-a and IL-6 levels, demonstrating its local antiangiogenic and anti-inflammatory effects. Furthermore, hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, and myelotoxicity, which could be induced by the drug, were evaluated. However, MTX did not promote toxicity to these organs, as the levels of AST and ALT (hepatic markers) and creatinine and urea (renal markers) were not increased, and the complete blood count was not decreased. In conclusion, MTX PCL implants demonstrated to be effective in regulating the components of the inflammatory angiogenesis locally established, and presented an acceptable safety profile. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 104:3731-3742, 2015.