Inhibition of calcium/calmodulin (Ca2+ /CaM)-Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) axis reduces in vitro and ex vivo arrhythmias in experimental Chagas disease.

Chagasic cardiomyopathy (CCC) is one of the main causes of heart failure and sudden death in Latin America. To date, there is no available medication to prevent or reverse the onset of cardiac symptoms. CCC occurs in a scenario of disrupted calcium dynamics and enhanced oxidative stress, which combined, may favor the hyper activation of calcium/calmodulin (Ca2+ /CaM)-calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) (Ca2+ /CaM-CaMKII) pathway, which is fundamental for heart physiology and it is implicated in other cardiac diseases. Here, we evaluated the association between Ca2+ /CaM-CaMKII in the electro-mechanical (dys)function of the heart in the early stage of chronic experimental Trypanosoma cruzi infection. We observed that in vitro and ex vivo inhibition of Ca2+ /CaM-CaMKII reversed the arrhythmic profile of isolated hearts and isolated left-ventricles cardiomyocytes. The benefits of the limited Ca2+ /CaM-CaMKII activation to cardiomyocytes' electrical properties are partially related to the restoration of Ca2+ dynamics in a damaged cellular environment created after T. cruzi infection. Moreover, Ca2+ /CaM-CaMKII inhibition prevented the onset of arrhythmic contractions on isolated heart preparations of chagasic mice and restored the responsiveness to the increase in the left-ventricle pre-load. Taken together, our data provide the first experimental evidence for the potential of targeting Ca2+ /CaM-CaMKII pathway as a novel therapeutic target to treat CCC.

Intestinal microbiota regulates tryptophan metabolism following oral infection with Toxoplasma gondii.

INTRODUCTION: The intestinal microbiota plays an important role in modulating host immune responses. Oral Toxoplasma gondii infection can promote intestinal inflammation in certain mice strains. The IDO-AhR axis may control tryptophan (Trp) metabolism constituting an important immune regulatory mechanism in inflammatory settings. AIMS: In the present study, we investigated the role of the intestinal microbiota on Trp metabolism during oral infection with T gondii. METHODS AND RESULTS: Mice were treated with antibiotics for four weeks and then infected with T gondii by gavage. Histopathology and immune responses were evaluated 8 days after infection. We found that depletion of intestinal microbiota by antibiotics contributed to resistance against T gondii infection and led to reduced expression of AhR on dendritic and Treg cells. Mice depleted of Gram-negative bacteria presented higher levels of systemic Trp, downregulation of AhR expression and increased resistance to infection whereas depletion of Gram-positive bacteria did not affect susceptibility or expression of AhR on immune cells. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that the intestinal microbiota can control Trp availability and provide a link between the AhR pathway and host-microbiota interaction in acute infection with T gondii.

NOX2-Derived Reactive Oxygen Species Control Inflammation during Leishmania amazonensis Infection by Mediating Infection-Induced Neutrophil Apoptosis.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by NADPH phagocyte oxidase isoform (NOX2) are critical for the elimination of intracellular pathogens in many infections. Despite their importance, the role of ROS following infection with the eukaryotic pathogen Leishmania has not been fully elucidated. We addressed the role of ROS in C57BL/6 mice following intradermal infection with Leishmania amazonensis. Despite equivalent parasite loads compared with wild-type (WT) mice, mice deficient in ROS production by NOX2 due to the absence of the gp91 subunit (gp91phox-/-) had significantly more severe pathology in the later stages of infection. Pathology in gp91phox-/- mice was not associated with alterations in CD4+ T cell-mediated immunity but was preceded by enhanced neutrophil accumulation at the dermal infection site. Ex vivo analysis of infected versus uninfected neutrophils revealed a deficiency in infection-driven apoptosis in gp91phox-/- mice versus WT mice. gp91phox-/- mice presented with higher percentages of healthy or necrotic neutrophils but lower percentages of apoptotic neutrophils at early and chronic time points. In vitro infection of gp91phox-/- versus WT neutrophils also revealed reduced apoptosis and CD95 expression but increased necrosis in infected cells at 10 h postinfection. Provision of exogenous ROS in the form of H2O2 reversed the necrotic phenotype and restored CD95 expression on infected gp91phox-/- neutrophils. Although ROS production is typically viewed as a proinflammatory event, our observations identify the importance of ROS in mediating appropriate neutrophil apoptosis and the importance of apoptosis in inflammation and pathology during chronic infection.

Microbiota-Induced Antibodies Are Essential for Host Inflammatory Responsiveness to Sterile and Infectious Stimuli.

The indigenous intestinal microbiota is frequently considered an additional major organ of the human body and exerts profound immunomodulating activities. Germ-free (GF) mice display a significantly different inflammatory responsiveness pattern compared with conventional (CV) mice, and this was dubbed a "hyporesponsive phenotype." Taking into account that the deposition of immune complexes is a major event in acute inflammation and that GF mice have a distinct Ig repertoire and B cell activity, we aimed to evaluate whether this altered Ig repertoire interferes with the inflammatory responsiveness of GF mice. We found that serum transfer from CV naive mice was capable of reversing the inflammatory hyporesponsiveness of GF mice in sterile inflammatory injury induced by intestinal ischemia and reperfusion, as well as in a model of lung infection by Klebsiella pneumoniae Transferring serum from Ig-deficient mice to GF animals did not alter their response to inflammatory insult; however, injecting purified Abs from CV animals restored inflammatory responsiveness in GF mice, suggesting that natural Abs present in serum were responsible for altering GF responsiveness. Mechanistically, injection of serum and Ig from CV mice into GF animals restored IgG deposition, leukocyte influx, NF-κB activation, and proinflammatory gene expression in inflamed tissues and concomitantly downregulated annexin-1 and IL-10 production. Thus, our data show that microbiota-induced natural Abs are pivotal for host inflammatory responsiveness to sterile and infectious insults.

Platelet-activating factor receptor contributes to antileishmanial function of miltefosine.

Miltefosine [hexadecylphosphocholine (HPC)] is the only orally bioavailable drug for the disease visceral leishmaniasis, which is caused by the protozoan parasite Leishmania donovani. Although miltefosine has direct leishmanicidal effects, evidence is mounting for its immune system-dependent effects. The mechanism of such indirect antileishmanial effects of miltefosine remains to be discovered. As platelet-activating factor and HPC share structural semblances and both induce killing of intracellular Leishmania, we surmised that platelet-activating factor (PAF) receptor had a significant role in the antileishmanial function of miltefosine. The proposition was supported by molecular dynamic simulation of HPC docking into PAF receptor and by comparison of its leishmanicidal function on PAF receptor-deficient macrophages and mice under HPC treatment. We observed that compared with wild-type macrophages, the PAF receptor-deficient macrophages showed 1) reduced binding of a fluorescent analog of HPC, 2) decreased TNF-α production, and 3) lower miltefosine-induced killing of L. donovani. Miltefosine exhibited significantly compromised leishmanicidal function in PAF receptor-deficient mice. An anti-PAF receptor Ab led to a significant decrease in miltefosine-induced intracellular Leishmania killing and IFN-γ production in a macrophage-T cell coculture system. These results indicate significant roles for PAF receptor in the leishmanicidal activity of HPC. The findings open new avenues for a more rational understanding of the mechanism of action of this drug as well as for improved therapeutic strategies.

The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Modulates Production of Cytokines and Reactive Oxygen Species and Development of Myocarditis during Trypanosoma cruzi Infection.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor involved in controlling several aspects of immune responses, including the activation and differentiation of specific T cell subsets and antigen-presenting cells, thought to be relevant in the context of experimental Trypanosoma cruzi infection. The relevance of AhR for the outcome of T. cruzi infection is not known and was investigated here. We infected wild-type (WT) mice and AhR knockout (AhR KO) mice with T. cruzi (Y strain) and determined levels of parasitemia, myocardial inflammation and fibrosis, expression of AhR/cytokines/suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) (spleen/heart), and production of nitric oxide (NO), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and peroxynitrite (ONOO(-)) (spleen). AhR expression was increased in the heart of infected WT mice. Infected AhR KO mice displayed significantly reduced parasitemia, inflammation, and fibrosis of the myocardium. This was associated with an anticipated increased immune response characterized by increased levels of inflammatory cytokines and reduced expression of SOCS2 and SOCS3 in the heart. In vitro, AhR deficiency caused impairment in parasite replication and decreased levels of ROS production. In conclusion, AhR influences the development of murine Chagas disease by modulating ROS production and regulating the expression of key physiological regulators of inflammation, SOCS1 to -3, associated with the production of cytokines during experimental T. cruzi infection.

IL-18 contributes to susceptibility to Leishmania amazonensis infection by macrophage-independent mechanisms.

We evaluated the role of IL-18 during Leishmania amazonensis infection in C57BL/6 mice, using IL-18KO mice. We showed that IL-18 is involved in susceptibility to L. amazonensis, since IL-18KO mice presented reduced lesions and parasite loads. Because macrophages are the host cells of the parasite, we investigated if macrophages were involved in IL-18-mediated susceptibility to L. amazonensis. We showed that macrophages obtained from WT or IL-18KO responded similarly to L. amazonensis infection. Moreover, we showed that C57BL/6 macrophages do not respond to IL-18, since they do not express IL-18R. Therefore, macrophages are not involved in IL-18-mediated susceptibility to L. amazonensis.

TNFR1 absence protects against memory deficit induced by sepsis possibly through over-expression of hippocampal BDNF.

The involvement of TNF-α type 1 receptor (TNFR1) in memory deficits induced by sepsis was explored by using TNFR1 knockout (KO) mice. We reported that wild type (WT) mice presented memory deficits in the novel object recognition test 10 days after sepsis induced by cecum ligation and perforation (CLP). These deficits were not observed in TNFR1 KO mice. The involvement of serum and brain cytokines TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, IFN-γ and IL-10 was then investigated. TNFR1 KO mice had higher serum levels of TNF-α and IL-1ß, and brain levels of TNF-α than WT mice. After CLP, the brain levels of TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6 and IFN-γ increased in both WT and KO mice. Our next step was to determine the expression of inflammatory cytokines, BDNF and TrKb in the hippocampus. The absence of TNFR1 in mice subjected to polymicrobial sepsis resulted in higher BDNF expression in the hippocampus. In conclusion, after CLP, memory is preserved in the absence of TNFR1. This finding was associated with increased BDNF expression in the hippocampus.

Transient TLR activation restores inflammatory response and ability to control pulmonary bacterial infection in germfree mice.

Mammals are colonized by an astronomical number of commensal microorganisms on their environmental exposed surfaces. These symbiotic species build up a complex community that aids their hosts in several physiological activities. We have shown that lack of intestinal microbiota is accompanied by a state of active IL-10-mediated inflammatory hyporesponsiveness. The present study investigated whether the germfree state and its hyporesponsive phenotype alter host resistance to an infectious bacterial insult. Experiments performed in germfree mice infected with Klebsiella pneumoniae showed that these animals are drastically susceptible to bacterial infection in an IL-10-dependent manner. In germfree mice, IL-10 restrains proinflammatory mediator production and neutrophil recruitment and favors pathogen growth and dissemination. Germfree mice were resistant to LPS treatment. However, priming of these animals with several TLR agonists recovered their inflammatory responsiveness to sterile injury. LPS pretreatment also rendered germfree mice resistant to pulmonary K. pneumoniae infection, abrogated IL-10 production, and restored TNF-α and CXCL1 production and neutrophil mobilization into lungs of infected germfree mice. This effective inflammatory response mounted by LPS-treated germfree mice resulted in bacterial clearance and enhanced survival upon infection. Therefore, host colonization by indigenous microbiota alters the way the host reacts to environmental infectious stimuli, probably through activation of TLR-dependent pathways. Symbiotic gut colonization enables proper inflammatory response to harmful insults to the host, and increases resilience of the entire mammal-microbiota consortium to environmental pressures.

Role of SOCS2 in modulating heart damage and function in a murine model of acute Chagas disease.

Infection with Trypanosoma cruzi induces inflammation, which limits parasite proliferation but may result in chagasic heart disease. Suppressor of cytokine signaling 2 (SOCS2) is a regulator of immune responses and may therefore participate in the pathogenesis of T. cruzi infection. SOCS2 is expressed during T. cruzi infection, and its expression is partially reduced in infected 5-lipoxygenase-deficient [knockout (KO)] mice. In SOCS2 KO mice, there was a reduction in both parasitemia and the expression of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), IL-6, IL-10, SOCS1, and SOCS3 in the spleen. Expression of IFN-γ, TNF-α, SOCS1, and SOCS3 was also reduced in the hearts of infected SOCS2 KO mice. There was an increase in the generation and expansion of T regulatory (Treg) cells and a decrease in the number of memory cells in T. cruzi-infected SOCS2 KO mice. Levels of lipoxinA(4) (LXA(4)) increased in these mice. Echocardiography studies demonstrated an impairment of cardiac function in T. cruzi-infected SOCS2 KO mice. There were also changes in calcium handling and in action potential waveforms, and reduced outward potassium currents in isolated cardiac myocytes. Our data suggest that reductions of inflammation and parasitemia in infected SOCS2-deficient mice may be secondary to the increases in Treg cells and LXA(4) levels. This occurs at the cost of greater infection-associated heart dysfunction, highlighting the relevance of balanced inflammatory and immune responses in preventing severe T. cruzi-induced disease.

The endogenous cytokine profile and nerve fibre density in mouse ear Leishmania major-induced lesions related to nociceptive thresholds.

Several reports have shown that cutaneous leishmaniasis lesions are painless, suggesting that Leishmania infection interferes with pain perception. Comparisons of inflammation-induced hyperalgesia between BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice have been little explored in the literature, and comparative data regarding nociception in leishmaniasis are non-existent. In susceptible BALB/c mice and resistant C57BL/6 mice that were intradermally inoculated with a low dose of Leishmania major in the ear, we investigated the variation in nociception over a 12-wk period post-infection and this variation's association with the structure of nerve fibres and the presence of endogenous cytokines that are classically considered hyper- or hypo-nociceptive. Infected BALB/c mice presented susceptibility and severe lesions. Infected C57BL/6 mice exhibited resistance and healing lesions. The immune response involved pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine secretion, respectively. The infection-induced hypoalgesia in BALB/c mice after wks 9 was accompanied by decreased levels of IL-6 and IL-10 in ear tissue with intact nerves. C57BL/6 mice showed short-lived hyperalgesia in wks 2, which was related to increased local levels of IL-6, KC/CXCL-1, TNF-α and IL-10 and a decrease in nerve density. The increase in pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6, KC/CXCL-1 and TNF-α levels during hyperalgesia suggested a role for these mediators in afferent nerve sensitisation, which was secondary to the inflammatory damage of nerve fibres stained by PGP 9.5. In contrast, the mechanisms of hypoalgesia may include the downregulation of cytokines, the preservation of the structure of nerve endings, and as yet uninvestigated unidentified differences in neurotransmitter release or a direct role of the parasites in the context of the progressive and permissive inflammatory response of BALB/c mice.

Resolution of neutrophilic inflammation by H2O2 in antigen-induced arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: Neutrophil accumulation contributes to the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. This study was undertaken to examine the ability of H2O2 to influence neutrophilic inflammation in a model of antigen-induced arthritis (AIA) in mice. METHODS: AIA was induced by administration of antigen into the knee joints of previously immunized mice. Neutrophil accumulation was measured by counting neutrophils in the synovial cavity and assaying myeloperoxidase activity in the tissue surrounding the mouse knee joint. Apoptosis was determined by morphologic and molecular techniques. The role of H2O2 was studied using mice that do not produce reactive oxygen species (gp91phox-/- mice) and drugs that enhance the generation or enhance the degradation of H2O2. RESULTS: Antigen challenge of immunized mice induced neutrophil accumulation that peaked at 12-24 hours after challenge. H2O2 production peaked at 24 hours, after which time, the inflammation resolved. Neutrophil recruitment was similar in wild-type and gp91phox-/- mice, but there was delayed resolution in gp91phox-/- mice or after administration of catalase. In contrast, administration of H2O2 or superoxide dismutase (SOD) resolved neutrophilic inflammation. The resolution of inflammation induced by SOD or H2O2 was accompanied by an increase in the number of apoptotic neutrophils. Apoptosis was associated with an increase in Bax and caspase 3 cleavage and was secondary to phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt activation. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that levels of H2O2 increase during neutrophil influx and are necessary for the natural resolution of neutrophilic inflammation. Mechanistically, enhanced levels of H2O2 (endogenous or exogenous) inhibit p-Akt/NF-κB and induce apoptosis of migrated neutrophils. Modulation of H2O2 production may represent a novel strategy for controlling neutrophilic inflammation in the joints.

Host susceptibility to Brucella abortus infection is more pronounced in IFN-γ knockout than IL-12/ß2-microglobulin double-deficient mice.

Brucella abortus is a facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen that causes abortion in domestic animals and undulant fever in humans. IFN-γ, IL-12, and CD8+ T lymphocytes are important components of host immune responses against B. abortus. Herein, IFN-γ and IL-12/ß2-microglobulin (ß2-m) knockout mice were used to determine whether CD8+ T cells and IL-12-dependent IFN-γ deficiency would be more critical to control B. abortus infection compared to the lack of endogenous IFN-γ. At 1 week after infection, IFN-γ KO and IL-12/ß2-m KO mice showed increased numbers of bacterial load in spleens; however, at 3 weeks postinfection (p.i.), only IFN-γ KO succumbed to Brucella. All IFN-γ KO had died at 16 days p.i. whereas death within the IL-12/ß2-m KO group was delayed and occurred at 32 days until 47 days postinfection. Susceptibility of IL-12/ß2-m KO animals to Brucella was associated to undetectable levels of IFN-γ in mouse splenocytes and inability of these cells to lyse Brucella-infected macrophages. However, the lack of endogenous IFN-γ was found to be more important to control brucellosis than CD8+ T cells and IL-12-dependent IFN-γ deficiencies.

Experimental infection with Schistosoma mansoni in CCR5-deficient mice is associated with increased disease severity, as CCR5 plays a role in controlling granulomatous inflammation.

The plasma level of the chemokine CCL3 is elevated in patients with chronic severe schistosomiasis mansoni. We have previously shown that CCL3(-/-) mice with experimental infection showed diminished pathology and worm burden compared to those of wild-type (WT) mice. To elucidate further the role of CC chemokines during schistosomiasis mansoni infection, we evaluated the course of infection in C57BL/6J mice deficient in CCR5, one of the receptors for CCL3. The CCR5 deficiency proved to be remarkably deleterious to the host, since mortality rates reached 70% at 14 weeks postinfection in CCR5(-/-) mice and 19% in WT mice. The increased lethality was not associated with an increased parasite burden, since similar numbers of eggs and adult worms were found in mice from both groups. Liver granulomas of chronically infected CCR5(-/-) mice were larger and showed greater numbers of cells and collagen deposition than liver granulomas from WT mice. This was associated with higher levels of production of intereleukin-5 (IL-5), IL-13, CCL3, and CCL5 in infected CCR5(-/-) mice than in infected WT mice. Moreover, at 8 weeks after infection, just before changes in pathology and mortality, the numbers of FoxP3-positive cells were lower in liver granulomas of CCR5(-/-) mice than in WT mice. In conclusion, the CCR5 deletion is deleterious to mice infected with Schistosoma mansoni, and this is associated with enhanced fibrosis and granulomatous inflammation.

Antigenic dietary protein guides maturation of the host immune system promoting resistance to Leishmania major infection in C57BL/6 mice.

The immature immune system requires constant stimulation by foreign antigens during the early stages of life to develop properly and to create efficient immune responses against later infections. We have previously shown that intake of antigenic dietary protein is critical for inducing maturation of the immune system as well as for the development of T helper type 1 (Th1) immunity. In this study, we show that administration of an amino acid (aa)-based diet during the development of the immune system subsequently resulted in inefficient control of Leishmania major infection in adult C57BL/6 mice. Compared with mice fed a control protein-containing diet, adult aa-fed mice showed a decreased interferon (IFN)-gamma response to parasite antigens and insufficient production of nitric oxide (NO), which is crucial to parasite death. However, no deviation towards Th2-specific immunity to L. major was observed. Phenotypic analysis of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) from aa-fed mice revealed deficient levels of the costimulatory molecules CD40 and CD80, and low levels of interleukin (IL)-12 produced by peritoneal macrophages, revealing an early stage of maturation of these cells. APCs isolated from aa-fed mice were unable to stimulate a Th1 response in vitro. Both phenotypic features of T cells from aa-fed mice and their ability to produce a Th1 response in the presence of mature APCs were unaffected when compared with T cells from control mice. The results presented here support the notion that regulation of Th1 immunity to infection includes environmental factors such as dietary proteins, which provide a natural source of stimulation that contributes to the process of maturation of APCs.

Colonization by Enterobacteriaceae is crucial for acute inflammatory responses in murine small intestine via regulation of corticosterone production.

Although dysbiosis in the gut microbiota is known to be involved in several inflammatory diseases, whether any specific bacterial taxa control host response to inflammatory stimuli is still elusive. Here, we hypothesized that dysbiotic indigenous taxa could be involved in modulating host response to inflammatory triggers. To test this hypothesis, we conducted experiments in germ-free (GF) mice and in mice colonized with dysbiotic taxa identified in conventional (CV) mice subjected to chemotherapy-induced mucositis. First, we report that the absence of microbiota decreased inflammation and damage in the small intestine after administration of the chemotherapeutic agent 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Also, 5-FU induced a shift in CV microbiota resulting in higher amounts of Enterobacteriaceae, including E. coli, in feces and small intestine and tissue damage. Prevention of Enterobacteriaceae outgrowth by treating mice with ciprofloxacin resulted in diminished 5-FU-induced tissue damage, indicating that this bacterial group is necessary for 5-FU-induced inflammatory response. In addition, monocolonization of germ-free (GF) mice with E. coli led to reversal of the protective phenotype during 5-FU chemotherapy. E. coli monocolonization decreased the basal plasma corticosterone levels and blockade of glucocorticoid receptor in GF mice restored inflammation upon 5-FU treatment. In contrast, treatment of CV mice with ciprofloxacin, that presented reduction of Enterobacteriaceae and E. coli content, induced an increase in corticosterone levels. Altogether, these findings demonstrate that Enterobacteriaceae outgrowth during dysbiosis impacts inflammation and tissue injury in the small intestine. Importantly, indigenous Enterobacteriaceae modulates host production of the anti-inflammatory steroid corticosterone and, consequently, controls inflammatory responsiveness in mice.

Cytotoxicity and cellular accumulation of palladium(II) complexes of tetracyclines.

We studied the cytotoxic effect and the uptake of Pd(II) complexes of doxycycline (Dox), [Pd(Dox)Cl2], and tetracycline (Tc), [Pd(Tc)Cl2], in chronic myelogenous leukemia cells. The effect of the compounds on macrophage viability was also investigated. Compound 1 is more effective than compound 2 in inhibiting the growth of K562 cells with the IC(50) values of 14.44 and 34.54 microM, respectively. There is a good correlation between cell-growth inhibition and intracellular metal concentrations, determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Incubation of the cells with equitoxic concentrations of both compounds yields approximately the same intracellular Pd concentration. At the IC(50) doses, intracellular concentration is ca. 33 x 10(-16) mol/cell for both compounds 1 and 2. This suggests that more [Pd(Tc)Cl2] is needed to produce a cytotoxic effect, because it enters cells more slowly. Both compounds up to 16 microM did not affect the viability of mouse peritoneal macrophages after a 48-h incubation. After 72 h of incubation, the IC(50) values are 22 for [Pd(Dox)Cl2] and 40 microM for [Pd(Tc)Cl(2)]. Therefore, the cytotoxic effect in cancer cells exhibited by both compounds is higher than their effect in macrophages.

Platelet activating factor receptor-deficient mice present delayed interferon-gamma upregulation and high susceptibility to Leishmania amazonensis infection.

We investigated the role of the platelet activation factor (PAF) receptor (PAFR) in the outcome of infection with Leishmania amazonensis. PAFR deficient (PAFR(-/-)) mice were infected with L. amazonensis and the course of infection was followed. We found that PAFR(-/-) mice in the C57BL/6 background were more susceptible to infection with L. amazonensis than the wild-type controls, as seen both by lesion size and parasite number at the site of infection. Interferon (IFN)-gamma production was delayed in PAFR(-/-) mice, and lower levels of Ccl5 were found in lesions. Expression of nitric oxide synthase-2 mRNA was found impaired in PAFR(-/-) associated with higher levels of arginase-1 mRNA. Moreover, higher levels of antibodies were produced in response to L. amazonensis by PAFR(-/-) mice. We conclude that signaling through the PAFR is essential for the ability of the murine host to control L. amazonensis infection by driving an adequate immune response.

Absence of gut microbiota influences lipopolysaccharide-induced behavioral changes in mice.

Changes in the microbiota composition of gastrointestinal tract are emerging as potential players in the physiopathology of neuropsychiatric disorders. In the present work we evaluated the relationship between the absence of gut microbiota and neuroinflammatory mechanisms in a murine model of LPS-induced behavioral alterations. Germ-free (GF) or conventional male mice received a single i.p. injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS i.p.; 0.83mg/Kg) or PBS, and after 24h they were tested for depressive-like behaviors (forced swimming test, tail suspension test - TST, or sucrose preference test - SPT). After behavioral evaluation, animals were analyzed for possible changes in neuroplasticity by means of BDNF, NGF and cytokines levels in prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, and the expression of Iba-1 (microglial activation marker) in the hippocampus, and the cellular activity marker, ΔFosB, in the dorsal raphe nucleus. In conventional mice, LPS induced depressive-like behaviors. LPS-induced changes were followed by up-regulation of the expression of TNF and Iba-1 in the hippocampus. The same effects were not observed in GF mice. Behavioral effects of LPS were not observed in GF mice submitted to TST. GF mice present a lower response to the anhedonia-like effect induced by LPS when compared to conventional animals (SPT). There was up-regulation of ΔFosB in the dorsal raphe nucleus in the absence of gut microbiota, events not influenced by LPS treatment. Our results suggest that gut-microbiota interactions influence depressive-like behaviors, raphe nucleus activation and activation of pro-inflammatory mechanisms within the hippocampus.