1. Immunity to Lutzomyia intermedia saliva modulates the inflammatory environment induced by Leishmania braziliensis.
- Author
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de Moura TR, Oliveira F, Rodrigues GC, Carneiro MW, Fukutani KF, Novais FO, Miranda JC, Barral-Netto M, Brodskyn C, Barral A, and de Oliveira CI
- Subjects
- Animals, Antigens immunology, Chemotaxis, Leukocyte immunology, Cytokines genetics, Cytokines metabolism, Ear, External, Female, Histocytochemistry, Host-Parasite Interactions, Immune Sera, Inflammation parasitology, Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous parasitology, Mice, Mice, Inbred BALB C, Neutrophil Infiltration immunology, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Psychodidae parasitology, Salivary Glands, Skin cytology, Statistics, Nonparametric, Inflammation immunology, Leishmania braziliensis immunology, Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous immunology, Psychodidae immunology, Saliva immunology
- Abstract
Background: During blood feeding, sand flies inject Leishmania parasites in the presence of saliva. The types and functions of cells present at the first host-parasite contact are critical to the outcome on infection and sand fly saliva has been shown to play an important role in this setting. Herein, we investigated the in vivo chemotactic effects of Lutzomyia intermedia saliva, the vector of Leishmania braziliensis, combined or not with the parasite., Methods and Findings: We tested the initial response induced by Lutzomyia intermedia salivary gland sonicate (SGS) in BALB/c mice employing the air pouch model of inflammation. L. intermedia SGS induced a rapid influx of macrophages and neutrophils. In mice that were pre-sensitized with L. intermedia saliva, injection of SGS was associated with increased neutrophil recruitment and a significant up-regulation of CXCL1, CCL2, CCL4 and TNF-alpha expression. Surprisingly, in mice that were pre-exposed to SGS, a combination of SGS and L. braziliensis induced a significant migration of neutrophils and an important modulation in cytokine and chemokine expression as shown by decreased CXCL10 expression and increased IL-10 expression., Conclusion: These results confirm that sand fly saliva modulates the initial host response. More importantly, pre-exposure to L. intermedia saliva significantly modifies the host's response to L. braziliensis, in terms of cellular recruitment and expression of cytokines and chemokines. This particular immune modulation may, in turn, favor parasite multiplication.
- Published
- 2010
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