ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Trypanosoma cruzi is the causative agent of Chagas disease, which is endemic to subtropical and tropical Americas. The disease treatment remains partially ineffective, involving therapies directed to the parasite as well as palliative strategies for the clinical manifestations. Therefore, novel candidates for disease control are necessary. Additionally, strategies based on parasite inhibition via specific targets and application of compounds which improve the immune response against the disease is welcomed. Ghrelin is a peptide hormone pointed as a substance with important cardioprotective, vasodilatory, anti-apoptotic, anti-oxidative and immune modulatory functions. The aims of this study were to evaluate the immunomodulatory effects of ghrelin in male Wistar rats infected with the Y strain of T. cruzi. METHODS: In order to delineate an immune response against T. cruzi mediated by ghrelin, we evaluated the following parameters: quantification of blood and cardiac parasites; analysis of cell markers (CD3+, CD8+, NK, NKT, CD45RA+, macrophage and RT1B+); nitric oxide (NO) production; lymphoproliferation assays; splenocyte apoptosis; and INF-γ, IL-12 and IL-6 quantification in sera. RESULTS: The animals infected with T. cruzi and supplemented with ghrelin demonstrated an upregulated pattern in macrophage and NO production, whereas an anti-inflammatory response was observed in T cells and cytokines. The low response against T. cruzi mediated by T cells probably contributed to a higher colonization of the cardiac tissue, when compared to infected groups. On the other side, the peptide decreased the inflammatory infiltration in cardiac tissue infected with T. cruzi. CONCLUSIONS: Ghrelin demonstrated a dual function in animals infected with T. cruzi. Further studies, especially related to the decrease of cardiac tissue inflammation, are needed in order to determine the advantages of ghrelin supplementation in Chagas disease, mostly for populations from endemic areas.
Subject(s)
Cardiotonic Agents/administration & dosage , Chagas Disease/drug therapy , Ghrelin/administration & dosage , Immunologic Factors/administration & dosage , Animals , Cell Proliferation , Chagas Disease/pathology , Cytokines/analysis , Disease Models, Animal , Injections, Subcutaneous , Lymphocytes/immunology , Macrophages/immunology , Male , Myocardium/pathology , Parasite Load , Rats, Wistar , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
We compared the levels of AURKA and AURKB in 24 (mantle cell lymphoma) MCL patients harboring 8q abnormalities and its relationship with MYCC gene status. Two distinct subgroups were observed, in terms of MYCC expression. Except for the patients with Burkitt's-like translocation, none of the patients harboring 8q abnormalities, including balanced translocations or duplications of MYCC band, identified both by G-banding and SKY, showed differential expression levels of MYCC. These previous findings also reflected in the differential expression of AURKA and AURKB genes. We found that AURKA and AURKB mRNA were expressed at significantly higher levels in MCL patients harboring Burkitt's-like translocation, when compared to patients with 8q rearrangements. The high expression of aurora kinase genes is reported to be associated with some parameters of clinical oncologic aggressiveness, such as high histological grade, invasion and increased rates of metastasis in several types of cancers. It is possible that in MCL patients expressing abnormal levels of MYCC together with a high expression of AURKA might offer some resistant to the conventional therapy purposes. Thus, aurora kinase inhibitors may also be considered for this specific subgroup on MCL, whose aggressive clinical course resembles high-grade lymphoma.
