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Jafari-Shakib R, Sadeghi A, Majidi-Shad B, Atrkar-Roshan Z, Sharifdini M. Seroepidemiological study on coinfection of toxoplasmosis and active tuberculosis in Northern Iran: a case control study. J Parasit Dis 2024; 48:247-252. [PMID: 38840872 PMCID: PMC11147986 DOI: 10.1007/s12639-024-01657-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Coinfection of tuberculosis (TB) and human parasitic infections is common in developing countries. There is little information about the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infection among TB patients in Iran. In this case-control study, anti-toxoplasma antibodies were measured by ELISA method in 100 patients with active tuberculosis and 100 healthy individuals who were matched in terms of sex, age, and place of residence. Anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies were diagnosed in 62% of TB patients (95% CI 53-71%) and 70% of control subjects (95% CI 62-78%). Anti-T. gondii IgM antibodies were found in 1% of both TB patients and control group. The seroprevalence of T. gondii infection was not significantly different between TB patients and healthy individuals (P > 0.05). None of the assessed sociodemographic and behavioral factors was recognized as a risk factor for toxoplasmosis in TB infected patients. Moreover, the level of anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies concentration in TB patients was significantly higher than in control subjects and revealed skewness towards humoral immune response in TB patients. Coinfection of toxoplasmosis and tuberculosis was prevalent but T. gondii infection was independent of active TB in this co-endemic area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reza Jafari-Shakib
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
| | - Abbas Sadeghi
- Department of Medical Parasitology, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
| | - Bijan Majidi-Shad
- Department of Medical Parasitology, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
| | - Zahra Atrkar-Roshan
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
| | - Meysam Sharifdini
- Department of Medical Parasitology, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
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Brito RMDM, de Lima Bessa G, Bastilho AL, Dantas-Torres F, de Andrade-Neto VF, Bueno LL, Fujiwara RT, Magalhães LMD. Genetic diversity of Toxoplasma gondii in South America: occurrence, immunity, and fate of infection. Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:461. [PMID: 38115102 PMCID: PMC10729521 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-06080-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular parasite with a worldwide distribution. Toxoplasma gondii infections are of great concern for public health, and their impact is usually most severe in pregnant women and their foetuses, and in immunocompromised individuals. Displaying considerable genetic diversity, T. gondii strains differ widely according to geographical location, with archetypal strains predominantly found in the Northern Hemisphere and non-archetypal (atypical) strains, with highly diverse genotypes, found mainly in South America. In this review, we present an overview of the identification and distribution of non-archetypal strains of T. gondii. Special attention is paid to the strains that have been isolated in Brazil, their interaction with the host immunological response, and their impact on disease outcomes. The genetic differences among the strains are pivotal to the distinct immunological responses that they elicit. These differences arise from polymorphisms of key proteins released by the parasite, which represent important virulence factors. Infection with divergent non-archetypal strains can lead to unusual manifestations of the disease, even in immunocompetent individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramayana Morais de Medeiros Brito
- Laboratory of Immunobiology and Control of Parasites, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Laboratory of Malaria and Toxoplasmosis Biology, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biosciences Centre, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | | | - Alexandre Lazoski Bastilho
- Laboratory of Malaria and Toxoplasmosis Biology, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biosciences Centre, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | | | - Valter Ferreira de Andrade-Neto
- Laboratory of Malaria and Toxoplasmosis Biology, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biosciences Centre, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Lilian Lacerda Bueno
- Laboratory of Immunobiology and Control of Parasites, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Toshio Fujiwara
- Laboratory of Immunobiology and Control of Parasites, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
| | - Luisa M D Magalhães
- Laboratory of Immunobiology and Control of Parasites, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
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Ronizi RR, Namavari M, Moazamian E. Evaluation of the protective immune response of an attenuated strain of Toxoplasma gondii with long-term passages on the Gecko cell line. Vet Parasitol 2023; 320:109969. [PMID: 37301090 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2023.109969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 05/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that causes the zoonoses disease, named toxoplasmosis, with global prevalence. Until now, no cost-effective treatment method has been found to deal with toxoplasma, and vaccination is the best way to deal with the infection. In the case of pathogenic protozoa, mainly live vaccines have had successful results compared to other vaccine platforms. This study evaluated the efficacy of a live experimental vaccine through long-term passages on the Gecko cell line (Z1) in inducing a protective immune response in BALB/c mice. Thirty mice were divided into three equal groups; G1: the immunized/challenged group (injection of attenuated strain), G2: the immunized/unchallenged group (injection of attenuated strain), and G3: the control group (injection of culture medium).One month after immunization, the studied mice were challenged with 1ₓ103 live tachyzoites of Toxoplasma acute RH strain. We performed Serological investigations, including evaluating antibodies, interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), and interleukins 2, 4, 10, and 12 (IL-2,4,10,12). At the study's end, a molecular test was performed on brain and liver tissues in the immunized groups to check the presence of parasites. The results from the serological tests for the evaluation of antibodies, interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), and interleukins 10 and 12 (IL-10, 12) show a significant difference (p < 0.05) between the vaccinated group and the control group, which are essential indicators of protective immunity against toxoplasma infection. Thus, in the vaccinated group, the survival rate of mice against the challenge was 70%. Also, in group two (G2), the attenuated strain of Toxoplasma gondii had no pathogenicity, and all mice survived until the end of the study period. Molecular results also showed the absence of parasites in the brain and liver tissues in this immunized group and the parasite was found in only one case of liver tissue in G1. Therefore, the attenuated strain has caused significant and protective humoral and cellular immune responses in vaccinated groups. This study showed that with the long-term passage of the acute strain on the Gecko cell line, it is possible to quickly obtain a non-diseased attenuated strain with the ability to induce protective immunity. This successful finding can introduce further research to achieve a promising vaccine in the target animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roghayeh Ramezanpoor Ronizi
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, Agriculture and Modern Technology, Shiraz branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Mehdi Namavari
- Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute; Agricultural Research, Agricultural and Extension Organization, Shiraz, Iran.
| | - Elham Moazamian
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, Agriculture and Modern Technology, Shiraz branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran
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Kim GH, Kwak JH, Park YH. Elevated interleukin-10 levels in patients with ocular toxoplasmosis. PARASITES, HOSTS AND DISEASES 2023; 61:310-316. [PMID: 37648237 PMCID: PMC10471474 DOI: 10.3347/phd.22172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
In elderly patients, ocular toxoplasmosis is one of the most common etiologies of uveitis, which should be differentially diagnosed from ocular lymphoma, another common pathology of uveitis in older adults. The high level of interleukin (IL)-10 and an IL-10/IL-6 ratio higher than 1 (>1.0) are helpful parameters to diagnose ocular lymphoma. In this study, we used aqueous humor samples to detect 4 cases of ocular toxoplasmosis in patients with high levels of IL-10 and an IL-10/IL-6 ratio higher than 1. Our results show that ocular toxoplasmosis may be associated with increased cytokine levels in aqueous humor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gee-Hyun Kim
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591,
Korea
| | - Jae Hyuck Kwak
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591,
Korea
| | - Young-Hoon Park
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591,
Korea
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Liu X, Zhang P, Liu Y, Li J, Yang D, Liu Z, Jiang L. Anti- Toxoplasma gondii Effects of Lipopeptide Derivatives of Lycosin-I. Toxins (Basel) 2023; 15:477. [PMID: 37624234 PMCID: PMC10467082 DOI: 10.3390/toxins15080477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis, caused by Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), is a serious zoonotic parasitic disease. We previously found that Lycosin-I exhibited anti-T. gondii activity, but its serum stability was not good enough. In this study, we aimed to improve the stability and activity of Lycosin-I through fatty acid chain modification, so as to find a better anti-T. gondii drug candidate. The α/ε-amino residues of different lysine residues of Lycosin-I were covalently coupled with lauric acid to obtain eight lipopeptides, namely L-C12, L-C12-1, L-C12-2, L-C12-3, L-C12-4, L-C12-5, L-C12-6, and L-C12-7. Among these eight lipopeptides, L-C12 showed the best activity against T. gondii in vitro in a trypan blue assay. We then conjugated a shorter length fatty chain, aminocaproic acid, at the same modification site of L-C12, namely L-an. The anti-T. gondii effects of Lycosin-I, L-C12 and L-an were evaluated via an invasion assay, proliferation assay and plaque assay in vitro. A mouse model acutely infected with T. gondii tachyzoites was established to evaluate their efficacy in vivo. The serum stability of L-C12 and L-an was improved, and they showed comparable or even better activity than Lycosin-I did in inhibiting the invasion and proliferation of tachyzoites. L-an effectively prolonged the survival time of mice acutely infected with T. gondii. These results suggest that appropriate fatty acid chain modification can improve serum stability and enhance anti-T. gondii effect of Lycosin-I. The lipopeptide derivatives of Lycosin-I have potential as a novel anti-T. gondii drug candidate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohua Liu
- Department of Parasitology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China; (X.L.); (Y.L.); (J.L.); (D.Y.)
| | - Peng Zhang
- The National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China; (P.Z.); (Z.L.)
| | - Yuan Liu
- Department of Parasitology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China; (X.L.); (Y.L.); (J.L.); (D.Y.)
| | - Jing Li
- Department of Parasitology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China; (X.L.); (Y.L.); (J.L.); (D.Y.)
| | - Dongqian Yang
- Department of Parasitology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China; (X.L.); (Y.L.); (J.L.); (D.Y.)
| | - Zhonghua Liu
- The National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China; (P.Z.); (Z.L.)
| | - Liping Jiang
- Department of Parasitology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China; (X.L.); (Y.L.); (J.L.); (D.Y.)
- China-Africa Research Center of Infectious Diseases, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China
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Dos Santos PV, de Toledo DNM, de Souza DMS, Menezes TP, Perucci LO, Silva ZM, Teixeira DC, Vieira EWR, de Andrade-Neto VF, Guimarães NS, Talvani A. The imbalance in the relationship between inflammatory and regulatory cytokines during gestational toxoplasmosis can be harmful to fetuses: A systematic review. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1074760. [PMID: 36742306 PMCID: PMC9889920 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1074760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective To evaluate the available information on inflammatory and regulatory plasma mediators in pregnant women (PW) diagnosed with toxoplasmosis. Source: The PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Lilacs databases were evaluated until October 2022. Study eligibility criteria: This review was carried out following the PRISMA and registered on the PROSPERO platform (CRD42020203951). Studies that reported inflammatory mediators in PW with toxoplasmosis were considered. Evaluation methods After excluding duplicate articles, two authors independently carried out the process of title and abstract exclusion, and a third resolved disagreements when necessary. The full text was evaluated to detect related articles. The extraction table was built from the following data: Author, year of publication, journal name and impact factors, country, study design, number of gestations and maternal age (years), gestational period, diagnosis of toxoplasmosis, levels of inflammatory markers, laboratory tests, and clinical significance. Methodological quality was assessed using Joanna Briggs Institute tools. Results Of the 1,024 studies reported, only eight were included. Of the 868 PW included in this review, 20.2% were IgM+/IgG- and 50.8% were IgM-/IgG+ to T. gondii, and 29.0% uninfected. Infected PW presented higher plasma levels ofIL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-17, CCL5, and IL-10. Regarding the methodological quality, four studies obtained high quality. Data from this review pointed out the maintenance of the inflammatory pattern during pregnancy with a closely related to the parasite. Conclusion Immune status in PW defined the course of the T. gondii infection, where the equilibrium between inflammatory and regulatory cytokines mitigated the harmful placenta and fetus effects. Systematic review registration https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD420203951.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priscilla Vilela Dos Santos
- Laboratory of the Immunobiology of Inflammation, Department of Biological Sciences/Institute of Exact and Biological Sciences (ICEB), Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil.,Graduate Program in Health and Nutrition, School of Nutrition, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil
| | - Débora Nonato Miranda de Toledo
- Laboratory of the Immunobiology of Inflammation, Department of Biological Sciences/Institute of Exact and Biological Sciences (ICEB), Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil.,Graduate Program in Health and Nutrition, School of Nutrition, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil
| | - Débora Maria Soares de Souza
- Laboratory of the Immunobiology of Inflammation, Department of Biological Sciences/Institute of Exact and Biological Sciences (ICEB), Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil.,Graduate Program in Health and Nutrition, School of Nutrition, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil
| | - Tatiana Prata Menezes
- Laboratory of the Immunobiology of Inflammation, Department of Biological Sciences/Institute of Exact and Biological Sciences (ICEB), Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil.,Graduate Program in Health and Nutrition, School of Nutrition, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil
| | - Luiza Oliveira Perucci
- Laboratory of the Immunobiology of Inflammation, Department of Biological Sciences/Institute of Exact and Biological Sciences (ICEB), Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil
| | - Zolder Marinho Silva
- Laboratory of the Immunobiology of Inflammation, Department of Biological Sciences/Institute of Exact and Biological Sciences (ICEB), Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil.,Graduate Program in Health and Nutrition, School of Nutrition, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil
| | | | - Ed Wilson Rodrigues Vieira
- Department of Maternal and Child Nursing and Public Health, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Valter Ferreira de Andrade-Neto
- Laboratory of Malaria and Toxoplasmosis Biology, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Federal University of the Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - Nathalia Sernizon Guimarães
- Graduate Program in Health and Nutrition, School of Nutrition, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil
| | - André Talvani
- Laboratory of the Immunobiology of Inflammation, Department of Biological Sciences/Institute of Exact and Biological Sciences (ICEB), Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil.,Graduate Program in Health and Nutrition, School of Nutrition, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil.,Graduate Program of Health Science, Infectiology and Tropical Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
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Effects of Ovine Monocyte-Derived Macrophage Infection by Recently Isolated Toxoplasma gondii Strains Showing Different Phenotypic Traits. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12243453. [PMID: 36552372 PMCID: PMC9774764 DOI: 10.3390/ani12243453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Ovine toxoplasmosis is one the most relevant reproductive diseases in sheep. The genetic variability among different Toxoplasma gondii isolates is known to be related to different degrees of virulence in mice and humans, but little is known regarding its potential effects in sheep. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of genetic variability (types II (ToxoDB #1 and #3) and III (#2)) of six recently isolated strains that showed different phenotypic traits both in a normalized mouse model and in ovine trophoblasts, in ovine monocyte-derived macrophages and the subsequent transcript expression of cytokines and iNOS (inducible nitric oxide synthase). The type III isolate (TgShSp24) showed the highest rate of internalization, followed by the type II clonal isolate (TgShSp2), while the type II PRU isolates (TgShSp1, TgShSp3, TgShSp11 and TgShSp16) showed the lowest rates. The type II PRU strains, isolated from abortions, exhibited higher levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines and iNOS than those obtained from the myocardium of chronically infected sheep (type II PRU strains and type III), which had higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The present results show the existence of significant intra- and inter-genotypic differences in the parasite-macrophage relationship that need to be confirmed in in vivo experiments.
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Aboelsoued D, Abdullah HHAM, Megeed KNA, Hassan SE, Toaleb NI. Evaluation of a vaccine candidate isolated from Cryptosporidium parvum oocyst in mice. Vet World 2022; 15:2772-2784. [PMID: 36718331 PMCID: PMC9880841 DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2022.2772-2784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and Aim Cryptosporidiosis is a leading cause of diarrheal disease worldwide and is an animal and public health burden. This study aimed to evaluate the protective potential of affinity-purified Cryptosporidium parvum oocyst antigen as a vaccine candidate according to fecal oocyst shedding, humoral and cellular immune responses, histopathological changes, and the number of parasite developmental stages in ileal and hepatic tissues. Materials and Methods We isolated oocysts from naturally infected buffalo calves and identified them molecularly as C. parvum isolates (GenBank: ON730707 and ON730708) by targeting the Cryptosporidium oocyst wall protein gene. We propagated the C. parvum oocysts in mice. In addition, we prepared crude antigen from the isolated oocysts by purification using cyanogen bromide-activated Sepharose-4B affinity chromatography coupled with rabbit hyperimmune serum. Then, we divided 81 parasite-free mice into three groups: (1) non-vaccinated non-infected mice, (2) mice orally infected with 1 × 105 C. parvum oocysts on week 4 of the experiment, and (3) mice immunized twice with 40 μg/kg of the purified fraction at 2-week intervals. Then, we challenged the vaccinated group with C. parvum oocysts after 2 weeks, and the positive control group was infected at the same time. Results We observed a prolonged prepatent period and decreased oocyst shedding in the vaccinated infected mice compared with the non-vaccinated infected mice (t < 0.001). The vaccinated mice had significantly higher immunoglobulin G levels than those in the other two groups at all examined weeks. In addition, the production of cytokines interferon-gamma, interleukin (IL)-10, IL-12, and IL-15 was activated post-vaccination. After the challenge, all tested cytokines were significantly increased (p < 0.001) in the two infected groups compared with the non-vaccinated non-infected group, with the highest levels in the vaccinated infected group. Vaccinated infected mice exhibited significantly fewer pathological lesions in the ileum and liver than non-vaccinated infected mice, which showed prominent histopathological lesions. Endogenous developmental stages of C. parvum indicated that the ileum was more parasitized than the liver and that vaccination resulted in a lower number of oocysts in ileal and hepatic tissues (p < 0.05). Conclusion Our prepared affinity-purified vaccine candidate could be promising in protecting against cryptosporidiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dina Aboelsoued
- Department of Parasitology and Animal Diseases, Veterinary Research Institute, National Research Centre, Dokki, Giza, Egypt,Corresponding author: Dina Aboelsoued, e-mail: Co-authors: HHAMA: , KNAM: , SEH: , NIT:
| | - Hend H. A. M. Abdullah
- Department of Parasitology and Animal Diseases, Veterinary Research Institute, National Research Centre, Dokki, Giza, Egypt
| | - Kadria N. Abdel Megeed
- Department of Parasitology and Animal Diseases, Veterinary Research Institute, National Research Centre, Dokki, Giza, Egypt
| | - Soad E. Hassan
- Department of Parasitology and Animal Diseases, Veterinary Research Institute, National Research Centre, Dokki, Giza, Egypt
| | - Nagwa I. Toaleb
- Department of Parasitology and Animal Diseases, Veterinary Research Institute, National Research Centre, Dokki, Giza, Egypt
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9
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Martins PDC, de Souza HADS, Blanco CM, Santos-de-Oliveira L, Pratt-Riccio LR, Daniel-Ribeiro CT, Totino PRR. Modulation of Signal Regulatory Protein α (SIRPα) by Plasmodium Antigenic Extract: A Preliminary In Vitro Study on Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10050903. [PMID: 35630348 PMCID: PMC9144821 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10050903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Signal regulatory protein α (SIRPα) is an immunoreceptor expressed in myeloid innate immune cells that signals for inhibition of both phagocytosis and inflammatory response. Malaria parasites have evolutionarily selected multiple mechanisms that allow them to evade host immune defenses, including the modulation of cells belonging to innate immunity. Notwithstanding, little attention has been given to SIRPα in the context of immunosuppressive states induced by malaria. The present study attempted to investigate if malaria parasites are endowed with the capacity of modulating the expression of SIRPα on cells of innate immune system. Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy individuals were incubated in the presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or crude extracts of P. falciparum or P. vivax and then, the expression of SIRPα was evaluated by flow cytometry. As expected, LPS showed an inhibitory effect on the expression of SIRPα in the population of monocytes, characterized by cell morphology in flow cytometry analysis, while Plasmodium extracts induced a significant positive modulation. Additional phenotyping of cells revealed that the modulatory potential of Plasmodium antigens on SIRPα expression was restricted to the population of monocytes (CD14+CD11c+), as no effect on myeloid dendritic cells (CD14−CD11c+) was observed. We hypothesize that malaria parasites explore inhibitory signaling of SIRPα to suppress antiparasitic immune responses contributing to the establishment of infection. Nevertheless, further studies are still required to better understand the role of SIRPα modulation in malaria immunity and pathogenesis.
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Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 and interferon (IFN)-γ differentially regulate ICAM-1 expression and adhesion of Toxoplasma gondii to human trophoblast (BeWo) and uterine cervical (HeLa) cells. Acta Trop 2021; 224:106111. [PMID: 34450063 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2021.106111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Revised: 07/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite able to infect various cell types, including trophoblast cells. Studies have demonstrated that interleukin (IL)-10, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 and interferon (IFN)-γ are involved in the susceptibility of BeWo trophoblast cells to T. gondii infection. Furthermore, T. gondii is able to adhere to the plasma membrane of host cells through intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1. Thus, the present study aimed to assess the role of IL-10, TGF-β1 and IFN-γ in the expression of ICAM-1 in BeWo and HeLa cells and to analyze the role of ICAM-1 in the adhesion and invasion of T. gondii to these cells under the influence of these cytokines. For this purpose, BeWo and HeLa cells were treated or not, before and after T. gondii infection, with rIL-10, rTGF-β1 or rIFN-γ. For the BeWo cells, rIL-10 and rTGF-β1 favored susceptibility to infection, but only rTGF-β1 and rIFN-γ increased ICAM-1 expression, and TNF-α release. On the other hand, rIFN-γ downregulated the expression of ICAM-1 triggered by T. gondii in HeLa cells, leading to control of the infection. Moreover, we observed that upregulation of ICAM-1, mediated by cytokine's stimulation, in BeWo and HeLa cells resulted in a high number rate of both parasite adhesion and invasion to these cells, which were strongly reduced after ICAM-1 neutralization. Likewise, the blockage of ICAM-1 molecule also impaired T. gondii infection in human villous explants. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that TGF-β1 and IFN-γ differentially regulate ICAM-1 expression, which may interfere in the adhesion/invasion of T. gondii to BeWo and HeLa cells for modulating susceptibility to infection.
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Shang FF, Wang MY, Ai JP, Shen QK, Guo HY, Jin CM, Chen FE, Quan ZS, Jin L, Zhang C. Synthesis and evaluation of mycophenolic acid derivatives as potential anti-Toxoplasma gondii agents. Med Chem Res 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00044-021-02803-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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Pazoki H, Mohammad Rahimi H, Mirjalali H, Niyyati M, Mosaffa N, Seyed Tabaei SJ, Shahrokh S, Asadzadeh Aghdaei H, Zali MR. Soluble total antigen derived from Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites increased the expression levels of NLRP1, NLRP3, NLRC4, AIM2, and the release of mature form of IL1β, but downregulated the expression of IL1β and IL18 genes in THP-1cell line. Microb Pathog 2021; 158:105072. [PMID: 34192597 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2021.105072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2020] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an intracellular parasitic protozoan infecting homoeothermic animals and about a third of the world's population. Inflammasomes are intracellular multi-protein complex, which are activated by many factors. Inflammasomes are activated during toxoplasmosis; however, there are a lot of obscure aspects. THP-1 monocyte cells were converted to M0 macrophages by PMA and treated by 100 μg/mL soluble total Ag (STAg) derived from T. gondii strain RH for two time points 3 h and 24 h. After total RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis, the expression pattern of NLRP1, NLRP3, NLRC4, AIM2, IL1β, and IL18 was evaluated by relative real-time PCR. In addition, the cytokine release of IL1β and TNFα was evaluated in the supernatant of each well. The results showed statistically significant time-dependent overexpression of inflammasomes. NLRP1 and NLRP3 showed the higher and lower expression, respectively, during 3 h and 24 h after exposure. Both IL1β and IL18 downregulated 3 h after exposure. IL18 presented statistically significant upregulation after 24 h, but IL1β showed statistically significant downregulation after 24 h. The release of IL1β increased after 3 h, but it slightly decreased during 24 h after exposure. The concentration of TNFα showed an insignificant decrease compared to control, while it increased during 24 h after exposure. Taken together, this study suggested that T. gondii STAg induces NLRP1 more than NLRP3, NLRC4, and AIM2. Our findings also proposed that T. gondii STAg downregulates the gene expression of IL1β, but increases the release of this cytokine. It seems that Toxoplasma STAg probably increase the release of IL1β via activating NLRPs and AIM2 to cleave pro-caspase 1 to caspase 1 that leads to conversion of pro IL1β to mature IL1β.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hossein Pazoki
- Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hanieh Mohammad Rahimi
- Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamed Mirjalali
- Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Maryam Niyyati
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Nariman Mosaffa
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Javad Seyed Tabaei
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shabnam Shahrokh
- Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamid Asadzadeh Aghdaei
- Basic and Molecular Epidemiology of Gastrointestinal Disorders Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Reza Zali
- Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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de Souza G, Silva RJ, Milián ICB, Rosini AM, de Araújo TE, Teixeira SC, Oliveira MC, Franco PS, da Silva CV, Mineo JR, Silva NM, Ferro EAV, Barbosa BF. Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 modulates Toxoplasma gondii infection, immune response and lipid droplets formation in human trophoblast cells and villous explants. Sci Rep 2021; 11:12709. [PMID: 34135407 PMCID: PMC8209052 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-92120-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Congenital toxoplasmosis is represented by the transplacental passage of Toxoplasma gondii from the mother to the fetus. Our studies demonstrated that T. gondii developed mechanisms to evade of the host immune response, such as cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) induction, and these mediators can be produced/stored in lipid droplets (LDs). The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of COX-2 and LDs during T. gondii infection in human trophoblast cells and villous explants. Our data demonstrated that COX-2 inhibitors decreased T. gondii replication in trophoblast cells and villous. In BeWo cells, the COX-2 inhibitors induced an increase of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and MIF), and a decrease in anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10). In HTR-8/SVneo cells, the COX-2 inhibitors induced an increase of IL-6 and nitrite and decreased IL-4 and TGF-β1. In villous explants, the COX-2 inhibitors increased MIF and decreased TNF-α and IL-10. Furthermore, T. gondii induced an increase in LDs in BeWo and HTR-8/SVneo, but COX-2 inhibitors reduced LDs in both cells type. We highlighted that COX-2 is a key factor to T. gondii proliferation in human trophoblast cells, since its inhibition induced a pro-inflammatory response capable of controlling parasitism and leading to a decrease in the availability of LDs, which are essentials for parasite growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guilherme de Souza
- Laboratory of Immunophysiology of Reproduction, Institute of Biomedical Science, Federal University of Uberlândia, Campus Umuarama, Av. Pará, 1720, Uberlândia, MG, 38405-320, Brazil
| | - Rafaela José Silva
- Laboratory of Immunophysiology of Reproduction, Institute of Biomedical Science, Federal University of Uberlândia, Campus Umuarama, Av. Pará, 1720, Uberlândia, MG, 38405-320, Brazil
| | - Iliana Claudia Balga Milián
- Laboratory of Immunophysiology of Reproduction, Institute of Biomedical Science, Federal University of Uberlândia, Campus Umuarama, Av. Pará, 1720, Uberlândia, MG, 38405-320, Brazil
| | - Alessandra Monteiro Rosini
- Laboratory of Immunophysiology of Reproduction, Institute of Biomedical Science, Federal University of Uberlândia, Campus Umuarama, Av. Pará, 1720, Uberlândia, MG, 38405-320, Brazil
| | - Thádia Evelyn de Araújo
- Laboratory of Immunophysiology of Reproduction, Institute of Biomedical Science, Federal University of Uberlândia, Campus Umuarama, Av. Pará, 1720, Uberlândia, MG, 38405-320, Brazil
| | - Samuel Cota Teixeira
- Laboratory of Immunophysiology of Reproduction, Institute of Biomedical Science, Federal University of Uberlândia, Campus Umuarama, Av. Pará, 1720, Uberlândia, MG, 38405-320, Brazil
| | - Mário Cézar Oliveira
- Laboratory of Immunopathology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Priscila Silva Franco
- Laboratory of Immunophysiology of Reproduction, Institute of Biomedical Science, Federal University of Uberlândia, Campus Umuarama, Av. Pará, 1720, Uberlândia, MG, 38405-320, Brazil
| | - Claudio Vieira da Silva
- Laboratory of Trypanosomatids, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - José Roberto Mineo
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Neide Maria Silva
- Laboratory of Immunopathology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Eloisa Amália Vieira Ferro
- Laboratory of Immunophysiology of Reproduction, Institute of Biomedical Science, Federal University of Uberlândia, Campus Umuarama, Av. Pará, 1720, Uberlândia, MG, 38405-320, Brazil
| | - Bellisa Freitas Barbosa
- Laboratory of Immunophysiology of Reproduction, Institute of Biomedical Science, Federal University of Uberlândia, Campus Umuarama, Av. Pará, 1720, Uberlândia, MG, 38405-320, Brazil.
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Ka'e AC, Sosso SM, Fokam J, Simo RK, Essama SR, Nka AD, Yagai B, Dzukou CJN, Tchouaket MCT, Chenwi C, Abba A, Fainguem N, Zam MKN, Yimga JF, Colizzi V, Ndjolo A. Anti-Toxoplasmic Immunoglobulin G Quantitation Correlates with Immunovirological Parameters of HIV-Infected Cameroonians. Curr HIV Res 2021; 19:73-83. [PMID: 32885755 DOI: 10.2174/1570162x18666200903172523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Toxoplasmosis is still a neglected common opportunistic infection in immunocompromised individuals, who are mainly people living with HIV (PLHIV) in whom reactivation of toxoplasmosis may occur with advanced HIV conditions in resource-limited settings (RLS). OBJECTIVE The objective was to assess the correlation between anti-toxoplasmic immunoglobulin G (anti-Toxo IgG) concentration and the immuno-virological status of PLHIV. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted in the year 2018 among 100 PLHIV aged ≥18 years in Yaounde-Cameroon. For each participant, anti-Toxo IgG, CD4-T lymphocytes, and plasma viral load (PVL) were measured using ELISA, flow cytometry, and real-time PCR, respectively. RESULTS Overall, 56% of the participants were seropositive for anti-Toxo IgG, while 33% were negative and 11% were equivocal. All (n=19) those with PVL>1000 copies/mL were seropositive to anti-Toxo IgG versus 52.85% (37/70) with PVL<1000 copies/mL; p<0.0001. Interestingly, all (n=11) those with severe immunodeficiency (T-CD4<200 cells/μL) were positive to anti-Toxo IgG versus 57.69% (45/78) with T-CD4>200 cells/μL; p<0.0001. Most importantly, PVL and anti- Toxo IgG concentration were positively correlated (r = 0.54; p<0.0001), while T-CD4 and anti- Toxo IgG concentration were negatively correlated (r = - 0.70; p<0.0001). Adjusting age, gender, immune status, and virological profile in logistic regression shows that only immune status was independently associated with the serological status of toxoplasmosis (p=0.0004). CONCLUSION In Cameroon, about half of PLHIV might be seropositive to anti-Toxo IgG, with decreasing immunity appearing as a risk of toxoplasmosis relapse. Thus, in the context of immunodeficiency, routine quantification of anti-Toxo IgG would alleviate the programmatic burden of this opportunistic infection in RLS with the generalized HIV epidemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aude Christelle Ka'e
- Chantal BIYA International Reference Center for Research on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Management (CIRCB), Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Samuel Martin Sosso
- Chantal BIYA International Reference Center for Research on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Management (CIRCB), Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Joseph Fokam
- Chantal BIYA International Reference Center for Research on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Management (CIRCB), Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Rachel Kamgaing Simo
- Chantal BIYA International Reference Center for Research on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Management (CIRCB), Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Sara Riwom Essama
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Alex Durand Nka
- Chantal BIYA International Reference Center for Research on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Management (CIRCB), Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Bouba Yagai
- Chantal BIYA International Reference Center for Research on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Management (CIRCB), Yaounde, Cameroon
| | | | - Michel Carlos Tommo Tchouaket
- Chantal BIYA International Reference Center for Research on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Management (CIRCB), Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Collins Chenwi
- Chantal BIYA International Reference Center for Research on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Management (CIRCB), Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Aissatou Abba
- Chantal BIYA International Reference Center for Research on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Management (CIRCB), Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Nadine Fainguem
- Chantal BIYA International Reference Center for Research on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Management (CIRCB), Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Marie Krystel Nnomo Zam
- Chantal BIYA International Reference Center for Research on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Management (CIRCB), Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Junie Flore Yimga
- Chantal BIYA International Reference Center for Research on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Management (CIRCB), Yaounde, Cameroon
| | | | - Alexis Ndjolo
- Chantal BIYA International Reference Center for Research on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Management (CIRCB), Yaounde, Cameroon
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El-Shafey AAM, Hegab MHA, Seliem MME, Barakat AMA, Mostafa NE, Abdel-Maksoud HA, Abdelhameed RM. Curcumin@metal organic frameworks nano-composite for treatment of chronic toxoplasmosis. JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE. MATERIALS IN MEDICINE 2020; 31:90. [PMID: 33089411 DOI: 10.1007/s10856-020-06429-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic protozoal disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii, an intracellular opportunistic protozoan parasite that can infect any warm-blooded vertebrate cell. In this study, zirconium, and iron-based metal-organic framework was prepared according to the solvothermal method. New nanocomposite (Curcumin@MOFs) was prepared by reacting curcumin with amino-functionalized metal-organic frameworks (Fe-MOF and UiO-66-NH2). Besides characterizations of the composite by powder X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope, nano-Curcumin@MOFs was used as a new novel structure as atrial for treatment of chronic toxoplasmosis. Results showed a reduced number of brain cysts, high levels of serum Toxo IgG, and normal histo-morphology with preserved parenchymal, and stromal tissues in rats groups treated with curcumin and Curcumin@MOFs nanocomposite.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mohammed H A Hegab
- Medical Parasitology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | | | - Ashraf M A Barakat
- Zoonotic Diseases Department, National Research Centre, 33 Bohouth str. Dokki, Giza, Egypt
| | - Nahed E Mostafa
- Medical Parasitology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | - Hanem A Abdel-Maksoud
- Medical Parasitology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | - Reda M Abdelhameed
- Applied Organic Chemistry Department, Chemical Industries Research Division, National Research Centre, 33 Bohouth str. Dokki, Giza, Egypt.
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16
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Rauwolf KK, Floeth M, Kerl K, Schaumburg F, Groll AH. Toxoplasmosis after allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation-disease burden and approaches to diagnosis, prevention and management in adults and children. Clin Microbiol Infect 2020; 27:378-388. [PMID: 33065238 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2020.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Toxoplasmosis is a rare but highly lethal opportunistic infection after allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Successful management depends on screening, early recognition and effective treatment. OBJECTIVES To review the current epidemiology and approaches to diagnosis, prevention and treatment of toxoplasmosis in adult and paediatric allogeneic HCT recipients. SOURCE Search of the English literature published in MEDLINE up to 30 June 2020 using combinations of broad search terms including toxoplasmosis, transplantation, diagnosis, epidemiology, prevention and treatment. Selection of articles for review and synthesis on the basis of perceived quality and relevance of content. CONTENT Toxoplasmosis continues to be a major challenge in the management of allogeneic HCT recipients. Here we provide a summary of published case series of toxoplasmosis in adult and paediatric patients post allogeneic HCT. We review and discuss the pathogenesis, epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis and current recommendations for prevention and treatment. We also discuss impacts of toxoplasmosis in this setting and factors affecting outcome, emphasizing attention to neurological, neuropsychological and neurocognitive late effects in survivors. IMPLICATIONS Apart from careful adherence to established strategies of disease prevention through avoidance of primary infection, identification of seropositive patients and implementation of molecular monitoring, future perspectives to improve the control of toxoplasmosis in allogeneic HCT recipients may include the systematic investigation of pre-emptive treatment, development of immunomodulatory approaches, antimicrobial agents with activity against the cyst form and vaccines to prevent chronic infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerstin K Rauwolf
- Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, University Children's Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany; Centre for Bone Marrow Transplantation, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Matthias Floeth
- Centre for Bone Marrow Transplantation, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany; Department of Medicine A, Haematology and Oncology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Kornelius Kerl
- Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, University Children's Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany; Centre for Bone Marrow Transplantation, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Frieder Schaumburg
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Andreas H Groll
- Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, University Children's Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany; Centre for Bone Marrow Transplantation, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany.
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Toxoplasma gondii ROP38 protein: Bioinformatics analysis for vaccine design improvement against toxoplasmosis. Microb Pathog 2020; 149:104488. [PMID: 32916240 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2020.104488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Revised: 08/29/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Rhoptry proteins (ROPs) play a significant role in various stages of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) life cycle, being critical for both invasion and intracellular survival. ROP38 is a key manipulator of host gene expression and has a function in tachyzoite to bradyzoite conversion. In this study, we've employed various bioinformatics online tools for immunogenicity prediction of ROP38 protein, comprising physico-chemical, antigenic and allergenic profiles, transmembrane domain, subcellular localization, post-translational modification (PTM) sites, secondary and 3D structure, B-cell, MHC-binding and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes. The findings showed 54 PTM sites without a transmembrane domain. Also, ROP38 was proved a non-allergenic and antigenic protein. The protein had Sec signal peptide (Sec/SPI) with 0.8762 likelihood. The secondary structure included 52.68% random coil, 29.57% alpha helix and 17.74% extended strand. Based on Ramachandran plot output for refined model, 95.3%, 3.4%, and 1.4% of amino acid residues were incorporated in the favored, allowed, and outlier regions, respectively. B-cell epitopes TFPGDDIQTSS (67-72) and KAKNKWGRTRYTLQG (207-221) as well as T-cell epitope LSPVGFFTAL (6-15) possessed the highest antigenic index in the protein sequence. This paper is a premise for further researches, and provides insights for the development of a suitable vaccine against toxoplasmosis. More empirical studies are required using the ROP38 alone or in combination with other antigens/epitopes in the future.
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Copro-microscopical and immunological diagnosis of cryptosporidiosis in Egyptian buffalo-calves with special reference to their cytokine profiles. J Parasit Dis 2020; 44:654-660. [PMID: 32801520 DOI: 10.1007/s12639-020-01244-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Cryptosporidiosis is considered to be one of the most devasting gastrointestinal diseases in calves. The aim of this study was to investigate Cryptosporidium parvum infection (C. parvum) in buffalo-calves with both copro-microscopic examination and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using two C. parvum prepared antigens with regards to their cytokines profile; interferon- γ (IFN-γ), interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-14 to achieve a proper diagnosis. All collected buffalo- calves' fecal samples were examined by modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining technique. ELISA was performed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the two C. parvum prepared antigens; crude whole oocyst (CWO) and crude sonicated oocyst (CSO) in detection of anti-C. parvum IgG in buffalo-calves' sera. As well, concentrations of INF-γ, IL-12 and IL-14 in the buffalo-calves' serum samples were estimated. The results revealed that the overall parasitological incidence of cryptosporidiosis was 40%. However, the serological diagnosis by ELISA assay showed 53.75% and 27.5% when using CWO and CSO antigen, respectively. Also, the diagnostic efficacy parameters of both antigens; CWO and CSO showed a significant high specificity (83.3%) achieved by CSO antigen and a high sensitivity (71.8%) by CWO antigen. The levels of INF-γ, IL-12 and IL-14 were significantly increased in positive Cryptosporidium infected group by both coprological and serological assays followed by the group which was positive for cryptosporidiosis by copro-microscopic examination only. The present study concluded that a combination of coprological and serological examination with reference to the cytokines profile is needed for proper diagnosis of cryptosporidiosis in buffalo-calves.
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20
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Aboelsoued D, Toaleb NI, Abdel Megeed KN, Hassan SE, Ibrahim S. Cellular immune response and scanning electron microscopy in the evaluation of Moringa leaves aqueous extract effect on Cryptosporidium parvum in buffalo intestinal tissue explants. J Parasit Dis 2019; 43:393-401. [PMID: 31406404 DOI: 10.1007/s12639-019-01103-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Cryptosporidium is an apicomplexan parasite of human and animals and is considered as an important co-factor in neonatal diarrhea. In this study, an explant culture was used as an in vitro model of buffalo intestine to evaluate the effect of Moringa leaves extract on Cryptosporidium parvum (C. parvum) oocysts using light and scanning electron microscopy and measuring IFN-γ, IL-12 and IL-14 in the culture supernatants. C. parvum oocysts were collected from naturally-infected calf feces, isolated, excysted and then co-inoculated with ileal tissue explants culture medium. The prepared Moringa leaves extract was then introduced to the infected tissues in the concentrations of 100 mg/ml and 300 mg/ml. After 24 h, tissues were collected and processed for light and scanning electron microscopy. Also, culture supernatants were collected for cytokines measurement. C. parvum parasitophorous vacuoles were found attached to the surface of tissue in Cryptosporidium-infected ileal tissue explants. High magnification imaging of ileal tissue explants using scanning electron microscopy showed that Moringa leaves extracts had a great effect on Cryptosporidium-infected ileal tissue explants. There was a high significant (P < 0.001) increase in IFN-γ, IL-12 and IL-14 (375, 275 and 90 pg/ml, respectively) in the supernatants of infected non-treated ileal tissue explant culture plate wells compared to the control non-infected ones (74.66, 75 and 50 pg/ml, respectively). A concentration of 100 mg/ml Moringa extract exhibited the highest anticryptosporidial effect causing a significant decrease in IFN-γ, IL-12 and IL-14 levels (225, 150 and 65 pg/ml, respectively) compared with supernatants of infected non-treated ileal explant culture plate wells. In this study, explant culturing of buffalo ileal tissues allowed investigating the pathogenesis of cryptosporidiosis using light and scanning electron microscopy and studying changes in cytokine levels in tissues with and without Moringa leaves extract treatment. This model could help to understand the regulation of intestinal secretory and inflammatory responses, and could be useful for the screening of potential anticryptosporidial candidate compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dina Aboelsoued
- 1Department of Parasitology and Animal Diseases, National Research Centre, El Buhouth St, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Nagwa I Toaleb
- 1Department of Parasitology and Animal Diseases, National Research Centre, El Buhouth St, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Kadria N Abdel Megeed
- 1Department of Parasitology and Animal Diseases, National Research Centre, El Buhouth St, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Soad E Hassan
- 1Department of Parasitology and Animal Diseases, National Research Centre, El Buhouth St, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Sally Ibrahim
- 2Department of Animal Reproduction and AI, National Research Centre, El Buhouth St, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt
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21
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Pereira ACA, Silva RJ, Franco PS, de Oliveira Gomes A, Souza G, Milian ICB, Ribeiro M, Rosini AM, Guirelli PM, Ramos ELP, Mineo TWP, Mineo JR, Silva NM, Ferro EAV, Barbosa BF. Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 Inhibitors Reduce Toxoplasma gondii Infection and Upregulate the Pro-inflammatory Immune Response in Calomys callosus Rodents and Human Monocyte Cell Line. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:225. [PMID: 30809216 PMCID: PMC6379304 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2018] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is able to infect a wide range of vertebrates, including humans. Studies show that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is a modulator of immune response in multiple types of infection, such as Trypanosoma cruzi. However, the role of COX-2 during T. gondii infection is still unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of COX-2 during infection by moderately or highly virulent strains of T. gondii in Calomys callosus rodents and human THP-1 cells. C. callosus were infected with 50 cysts of T. gondii (ME49), treated with COX-2 inhibitors (meloxicam or celecoxib) and evaluated to check body weight and morbidity. After 40 days, brain and serum were collected for detection of T. gondii by real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry or cytokines by CBA. Furthermore, peritoneal macrophages or THP-1 cells, infected with RH strain or uninfected, were treated with meloxicam or celecoxib to evaluate the parasite proliferation by colorimetric assay and cytokine production by ELISA. Finally, in order to verify the role of prostaglandin E2 in COX-2 mechanism, THP-1 cells were infected, treated with meloxicam or celecoxib plus PGE2, and analyzed to parasite proliferation and cytokine production. The data showed that body weight and morbidity of the animals changed after infection by T. gondii, under both treatments. Immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR showed a reduction of T. gondii in brains of animals treated with both COX-2 inhibitors. Additionally, it was observed that both COX-2 inhibitors controlled the T. gondii proliferation in peritoneal macrophages and THP-1 cells, and the treatment with PGE2 restored the parasite growth in THP-1 cells blocked to COX-2. In the serum of Calomys, upregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines was detected, while the supernatants of peritoneal macrophages and THP-1 cells demonstrated significant production of TNF and nitrite, or TNF, nitrite and MIF, respectively, under both COX-2 inhibitors. Finally, PGE2 treatment in THP-1 cells triggered downmodulation of pro-inflammatory mediators and upregulation of IL-8 and IL-10. Thus, COX-2 is an immune mediator involved in the susceptibility to T. gondii regardless of strain or cell types, since inhibition of this enzyme induced control of infection by upregulating important pro-inflammatory mediators against Toxoplasma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Carolina Alcântara Pereira
- Laboratory of Immunophysiology of Reproduction, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Rafaela José Silva
- Laboratory of Immunophysiology of Reproduction, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Priscila Silva Franco
- Laboratory of Immunophysiology of Reproduction, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Angelica de Oliveira Gomes
- Institute of Natural and Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba, Brazil
| | - Guilherme Souza
- Laboratory of Immunophysiology of Reproduction, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Iliana Claudia Balga Milian
- Laboratory of Immunophysiology of Reproduction, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Mayara Ribeiro
- Laboratory of Immunophysiology of Reproduction, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Alessandra Monteiro Rosini
- Laboratory of Immunophysiology of Reproduction, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Pâmela Mendonça Guirelli
- Laboratory of Immunophysiology of Reproduction, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Eliézer Lucas Pires Ramos
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Tiago Wilson Patriarca Mineo
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - José Roberto Mineo
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Neide Maria Silva
- Laboratory of Immunopathology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Eloisa Amália Vieira Ferro
- Laboratory of Immunophysiology of Reproduction, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Bellisa Freitas Barbosa
- Laboratory of Immunophysiology of Reproduction, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
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Yang J, Wang L, Xu D, Tang D, Li S, Du F, Wang L, Zhao J, Fang R. Risk Assessment of Etanercept in Mice Chronically Infected With Toxoplasma gondii. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:2822. [PMID: 30519229 PMCID: PMC6258779 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Accepted: 11/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a zoonotic parasite that severely harms the health of the host. The cysts of T. gondii can reactivate from bradyzoites to tachyzoites, if the individual develops low or defective immunity, causing lethal toxoplasmosis. The host resists T. gondii infection by mediating Th1-type cellular immunity to generate pro-inflammatory cytokines. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is an important pro-inflammatory cytokine, which can induce lysosomal fusion of parasitophorous vacuole (PV) to kill parasites. Etanercept is a soluble TNF receptor fusion protein, which is widely used clinically to cure autoimmune diseases. The effects and specific molecular mechanisms of etanercept treatment on patients co-infected with autoimmune diseases and chronic toxoplasmosis are rarely reported. In our study, a mouse model of chronic infection with T. gondii and murine macrophages RAW264.7 cells infected with T. gondii were employed to investigate the impact of etanercept on the status of chronic infection. The cytokines levels and a series of phenotypic experiments in vivo and in vitro were measured. In the present study, the expression levels of TNF, IL-1β, and IL-6 were decreased and the brain cysts number was increased in mice chronically infected with T. gondii after being treated with etanercept. In vivo experiments confirmed that etanercept caused a decrease in the immune levels of the mice and activated the brain cysts, which would lead to conversion from chronic infection to acute infection, causing severe clinical and pathological symptoms. Murine macrophages RAW264.7 cells were pretreated with etanercept, and then infected with T. gondii. In vitro experiments, the expression levels of cytokines were decreased, indicating that etanercept could also reduce the cells’ immunity and promote the transformation of bradyzoites to tachyzoites, but did not affect the intracellular replication of tachyzoites. In summary, etanercept treatment could activate the conversion of bradyzoites to tachyzoites through reducing host immunity in vivo and in vitro. The results obtained from this study suggest that the use of etanercept in patients co-infected with autoimmune diseases and chronic toxoplasmosis may lead to the risk of activation of chronic infection, resulting in severe acute toxoplasmosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Luyao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Dongmei Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Ding Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Senyang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Fen Du
- Hubei Centre for Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Wuhan, China
| | - Lixia Wang
- Hubei Provincial Centre for Diseases Control and Prevention, Wuhan, China
| | - Junlong Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Rui Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
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El-Tantawy NL, Soliman AF, Abdel-Magied A, Ghorab D, Khalil AT, Naeem ZM, Shimizu K, El-Sharkawy SH. Could Araucaria heterophylla resin extract be used as a new treatment for toxoplasmosis? Exp Parasitol 2018; 195:44-53. [PMID: 30339984 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2018.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2018] [Revised: 09/25/2018] [Accepted: 10/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is a worldwide parasitic disease responsible for serious health problems to human. The currently available drugs used for toxoplasmosis treatment showed a limited efficacy and cause serious host toxicity. The in vitro screening for toxoplasmicidal activity of Araucaria heterophylla resin (AHR) extract and its major component 13-epi-cupressic acid (CUP) showed that both AHR (EC50 = 3.90) and CUP (EC50 = 3.69) have high toxoplasmicidal activity in comparison with standard cotrimoxazole (EC50 = 4.28). The antiprotozoal effects of AHR and CUP were investigated against acute and chronic toxoplasmosis using mice models. Two groups of Swiss albino mice were infected by RH Toxoplasma strain intraperitoneally and by Me49 strain orally. Both groups were treated with AHR and CUP in different doses. Their effects were evaluated by survival rate, peritoneal, spleen and liver parasite burdens, brain cyst burden, NO serum level and histopathological lesions. The ultrastructural changes of tachyzoites of acutely infected mice were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). There is an evidence of toxoplasmicidal activity of AHR and CUP in acute and chronic experimental toxoplasmosis. In the acute model, mice treated with AHR and CUP showed prolonged survival rates, a significant decrease in the parasite density in peritoneal lavage and pathological insult in both liver and spleen compared with that of untreated ones. SEM results denote evident morphological alterations of treated tachyzoites. In chronic experimental toxoplasmosis, AHR and CUP treated groups could significantly reduce brain cyst burden by 96.05% and 98.02% respectively. This study indicates that AHR and CUP showed potent toxoplasmicidal activities experimentally and could be used as a potential natural nontoxic agent for treatment of toxoplasmosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora L El-Tantawy
- Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
| | - Amal F Soliman
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Aida Abdel-Magied
- Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Doaa Ghorab
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Ashraf T Khalil
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Zein M Naeem
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Kuniyoshi Shimizu
- Division of Systematic Forest and Forest Products Sciences, Department of Agro-Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Graduate School of Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 812-8581, Japan
| | - Saleh H El-Sharkawy
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
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Zhang HB, Shen QK, Wang H, Jin C, Jin CM, Quan ZS. Synthesis and evaluation of novel arctigenin derivatives as potential anti-Toxoplasma gondii agents. Eur J Med Chem 2018; 158:414-427. [PMID: 30237124 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2018.08.087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2018] [Revised: 08/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Four new series of arctigenin derivatives were designed, synthesised, and evaluated for their anti-Toxoplasma gondii activity in vitro and in vivo. Among the synthesised compounds, 4-(3,4-dimethoxybenzyl)-3-(4-((1-(2-fluorobenzyl)-1H- 1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methoxy)-3-methoxybenzyl)dihydrofuran-2(3H)-one (D4) exhibited the most potent anti-T. gondii activity and low cytotoxicity (IC50 in T. gondii: 17.1 μM; IC50 in HeLa cells: ≥ 600.0 μM; Selectivity: 35.09), demonstrating better results than the lead compound arctigenin (IC50 in T. gondii: 586.4 μM; IC50 in HeLa cells: 572.7 μM; Selectivity: 0.98) and the clinically applied positive-control drug spiramycin (IC50 in T. gondi: 262.2 μM; IC50 in HeLa cells: 189.0 μM; Selectivity: 0.72) in vitro. Furthermore, 2-(4-((4-(3,4-dimethoxybenzyl)-2-oxotetrahydrofuran-3-yl)methyl)-2- methoxyphenoxy)N-phenylacetamide (E5) had better inhibitory effects on T. gondii in vivo than spiramycin did. Compound D4 and E5 not only significantly reduced the number of tachyzoites in the peritoneal cavity of mice, but also resulted in their partial malformation (P < 0.05) in vivo. The determination of liver and spleen index and biochemical parameters, such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA), were comprehensively evaluated for compound D4 and E5's anti-T. gondii activity and some damage to the liver. In addition, the results of a docking study of D4 into the T. gondii calcium-dependent protein kinase 1 (TgCDPK1) receptor protein-binding site revealed that its mode of action was possibly as a TgCDPK1 inhibitor. Overall, the results revealed that D4 and E5 are promising lead compounds for the further development and identification of arctigenin derivatives as anti-T. gondii agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai-Bin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Natural Resources and Functional Molecules of the Changbai Mountain, Affiliated Ministry of Education, College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji, Jilin, 133002, China
| | - Qing-Kun Shen
- Key Laboratory of Natural Resources and Functional Molecules of the Changbai Mountain, Affiliated Ministry of Education, College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji, Jilin, 133002, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Key Laboratory of Natural Resources and Functional Molecules of the Changbai Mountain, Affiliated Ministry of Education, College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji, Jilin, 133002, China
| | - Chunmei Jin
- Key Laboratory of Natural Resources and Functional Molecules of the Changbai Mountain, Affiliated Ministry of Education, College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji, Jilin, 133002, China
| | - Chun-Mei Jin
- Key Laboratory of Natural Resources and Functional Molecules of the Changbai Mountain, Affiliated Ministry of Education, College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji, Jilin, 133002, China.
| | - Zhe-Shan Quan
- Key Laboratory of Natural Resources and Functional Molecules of the Changbai Mountain, Affiliated Ministry of Education, College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji, Jilin, 133002, China.
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Mycophenolic acid induces differentiation of Toxoplasma gondii RH strain tachyzoites into bradyzoites and formation of cyst-like structure in vitro. Parasitol Res 2018; 117:547-563. [DOI: 10.1007/s00436-017-5738-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2017] [Accepted: 12/27/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Ashour DS, Saad AE, Dawood LM, Zamzam Y. Immunological interaction between Giardia cyst extract and experimental toxoplasmosis. Parasite Immunol 2017; 40. [PMID: 29130475 DOI: 10.1111/pim.12503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2017] [Accepted: 11/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is mostly associated with other intestinal parasitic infections especially Giardia due to shared mode of peroral infection. Toxoplasma and Giardia induce a strong T-helper 1- immune response. Our aim was to induce a protective immune response that results in significant impact on intestinal and extra-intestinal phases of Toxoplasma infection. This study was conducted in experimental animals and assessment of Giardia cyst extract effect on Toxoplasma infection was investigated by histopathological examination of small intestine and brain, Toxoplasma cyst count and iNOS staining of the brain, measurement of IFN-γ and TGF-β in intestinal tissues. Results showed that the brain Toxoplasma cyst number was decreased in mice infected with Toxoplasma then received Giardia cyst extract as compared to mice infected with Toxoplasma only. This effect was produced because Giardia cyst extract augmented the immune response to Toxoplasma infection as evidenced by severe inflammatory reaction in the intestinal and brain tissues, increased levels of IFN-γ and TGF-β in intestinal tissues and strong iNOS staining of the brain. In conclusion, Giardia cyst extract generated a protective response against T. gondii infection. Therefore, Giardia antigen will be a suitable candidate for further researches as an immunomodulatory agent against Toxoplasma infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- D S Ashour
- Medical Parasitology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt
| | - A E Saad
- Medical Parasitology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt
| | - L M Dawood
- Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt
| | - Y Zamzam
- Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt
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Downmodulation of Effector Functions in NK Cells upon Toxoplasma gondii Infection. Infect Immun 2017; 85:IAI.00069-17. [PMID: 28760930 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00069-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2017] [Accepted: 07/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The obligate intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii can actively infect any nucleated cell type, including cells from the immune system. The rapid transfer of T. gondii from infected dendritic cells to effector natural killer (NK) cells may contribute to the parasite's sequestration and shielding from immune recognition shortly after infection. However, subversion of NK cell functions, such as cytotoxicity or production of proinflammatory cytokines, such as gamma interferon (IFN-γ), upon parasite infection might also be beneficial to the parasite. In the present study, we investigated the effects of T. gondii infection on NK cells. In vitro, infected NK cells were found to be poor at killing target cells and had reduced levels of IFN-γ production. This could be attributed in part to the inability of infected cells to form conjugates with their target cells. However, even upon NK1.1 cross-linking of NK cells, the infected NK cells also exhibited poor degranulation and IFN-γ production. Similarly, NK cells infected in vivo were also poor at killing target cells and producing IFN-γ. Increased levels of transforming growth factor β production, as well as increased levels of expression of SHP-1 in the cytosol of infected NK cells upon infection, were observed in infected NK cells. However, the phosphorylation of STAT4 was not altered in infected NK cells, suggesting that transcriptional regulation mediates the reduced IFN-γ production, which was confirmed by quantitative PCR. These data suggest that infection of NK cells by T. gondii impairs NK cell recognition of target cells and cytokine release, two mechanisms that independently could enhance T. gondii survival.
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28
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Sumpf K, Nast R, Downie B, Salinas G, Lüder CG. Histone deacetylase inhibitor MS-275 augments expression of a subset of IFN-γ-regulated genes in Toxoplasma gondii-infected macrophages but does not improve parasite control. Exp Parasitol 2017; 180:45-54. [DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2017.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2016] [Revised: 01/10/2017] [Accepted: 02/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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da Silva RJ, Gomes AO, Franco PS, Pereira AS, Milian ICB, Ribeiro M, Fiorenzani P, dos Santos MC, Mineo JR, da Silva NM, Ferro EAV, de Freitas Barbosa B. Enrofloxacin and Toltrazuril Are Able to Reduce Toxoplasma gondii Growth in Human BeWo Trophoblastic Cells and Villous Explants from Human Third Trimester Pregnancy. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2017; 7:340. [PMID: 28798905 PMCID: PMC5526852 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2017.00340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2017] [Accepted: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Classical treatment for congenital toxoplasmosis is based on combination of sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine plus folinic acid. Due to teratogenic effects and bone marrow suppression caused by pyrimethamine, the establishment of new therapeutic strategies is indispensable to minimize the side effects and improve the control of infection. Previous studies demonstrated that enrofloxacin and toltrazuril reduced the incidence of Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii infection. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of enrofloxacin and toltrazuril in the control of T. gondii infection in human trophoblast cells (BeWo line) and in human villous explants from the third trimester. BeWo cells and villous were treated with several concentrations of enrofloxacin, toltrazuril, sulfadiazine, pyrimethamine, or combination of sulfadiazine+pyrimethamine, and the cellular or tissue viability was verified. Next, BeWo cells were infected by T. gondii (2F1 clone or the ME49 strain), whereas villous samples were only infected by the 2F1 clone. Then, infected cells and villous were treated with all antibiotics and the T. gondii intracellular proliferation as well as the cytokine production were analyzed. Finally, we evaluated the direct effect of enrofloxacin and toltrazuril in tachyzoites to verify possible changes in parasite structure. Enrofloxacin and toltrazuril did not decrease the viability of cells and villous in lower concentrations. Both drugs were able to significantly reduce the parasite intracellular proliferation in BeWo cells and villous explants when compared to untreated conditions. Regardless of the T. gondii strain, BeWo cells infected and treated with enrofloxacin or toltrazuril induced high levels of IL-6 and MIF. In villous explants, enrofloxacin induced high MIF production. Finally, the drugs increased the number of unviable parasites and triggered damage to tachyzoite structure. Taken together, it can be concluded that enrofloxacin and toltrazuril are able to control T. gondii infection in BeWo cells and villous explants, probably by a direct action on the host cells and parasites, which leads to modifications of cytokine release and tachyzoite structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafaela J. da Silva
- Laboratory of Immunophysiology of Reproduction, Institute of Biomedical Science, Federal University of UberlândiaUberlândia, Brazil
| | - Angelica O. Gomes
- Departament of Morphology, Federal University of Triângulo MineiroUberaba, Brazil
| | - Priscila S. Franco
- Laboratory of Immunophysiology of Reproduction, Institute of Biomedical Science, Federal University of UberlândiaUberlândia, Brazil
| | - Ariane S. Pereira
- Laboratory of Immunophysiology of Reproduction, Institute of Biomedical Science, Federal University of UberlândiaUberlândia, Brazil
| | - Iliana C. B. Milian
- Laboratory of Immunophysiology of Reproduction, Institute of Biomedical Science, Federal University of UberlândiaUberlândia, Brazil
| | - Mayara Ribeiro
- Laboratory of Immunophysiology of Reproduction, Institute of Biomedical Science, Federal University of UberlândiaUberlândia, Brazil
| | - Paolo Fiorenzani
- Department of Medical, Surgery and Neuroscience, University of SienaSiena, Italy
| | - Maria C. dos Santos
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of UberlândiaUberlândia, Brazil
| | - José R. Mineo
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Institute of Biomedical Science, Federal University of UberlândiaUberlândia, Brazil
| | - Neide M. da Silva
- Laboratory of Immunopathology, Institute of Biomedical Science, Federal University of UberlandiaUberlândia, Brazil
| | - Eloisa A. V. Ferro
- Laboratory of Immunophysiology of Reproduction, Institute of Biomedical Science, Federal University of UberlândiaUberlândia, Brazil
| | - Bellisa de Freitas Barbosa
- Laboratory of Immunophysiology of Reproduction, Institute of Biomedical Science, Federal University of UberlândiaUberlândia, Brazil
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Wang S, Zhang Z, Wang Y, Gadahi JA, Xie Q, Xu L, Yan R, Song X, Li X. Toxoplasma gondii excretory/secretory antigens (TgESAs) suppress pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion by inhibiting TLR-induced NF-κB activation in LPS-stimulated murine macrophages. Oncotarget 2017; 8:88351-88359. [PMID: 29179440 PMCID: PMC5687610 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.19362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Excretory/secretory antigens (ESAs) produced by Toxoplasma gondii enable this parasite to invade and survive within the host cells through immunomodulation. In this study, the modulating effects of T. gondii excretory/secretory antigens (TgESAs) on the Ana-1 murine macrophage cell line were evaluated. Ana-1 cells were incubated with several concentrations of TgESAs, and the resulting effects on cellular viability, phagocytotic ability, and apoptosis induction were determined. Pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine secretion, nitric oxide production, toll-like receptor expression, and nuclear translocation of NF-κB were all measured after incubation with TgESAs. After TgESAs treatment, the proliferation and phagocytosis ability of Ana-1 cells decreased, and apoptosis was induced in a dose dependent manner. Analysis of Ana-1 cell culture supernatants showed that TgESAs not only upregulated secretion of anti-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-10 and transforming growth factor-β1), they also inhibited secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β). Additionally, TgESAs inhibited nitric oxide production, toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 and 4 activation, and the nuclear translocation of NF-κB in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated Ana-1 macrophages. These results suggest TgESAs inhibit the functional activity of Ana-1 murine macrophages by inhibiting TLR-induced NF-κB activation, which suppresses pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China.,School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan, PR China
| | - Zhenchao Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China.,School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan, PR China
| | - Yujian Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Javaid Ali Gadahi
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Qing Xie
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China.,School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan, PR China
| | - Lixin Xu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Ruofeng Yan
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Xiaokai Song
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Xiangrui Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China
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Toxoplasmosis-associated IRIS involving the CNS: a case report with longitudinal analysis of T cell subsets. BMC Infect Dis 2017; 17:66. [PMID: 28086758 PMCID: PMC5237164 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-016-2159-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2016] [Accepted: 12/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background HIV-infected patients may present an unforeseen clinical worsening after initiating antiretroviral therapy known as immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS). This syndrome is characterized by a heightened inflammatory response toward infectious or non-infectious triggers, and it may affect different organs. Diagnosis of IRIS involving the central nervous system (CNS-IRIS) is challenging due to heterogeneous manifestations, absence of biomarkers to identify this condition, risk of long-term sequelae and high mortality. Hence, a deeper knowledge of CNS-IRIS pathogenesis is needed. Case presentation A 37-year-old man was diagnosed with AIDS and cerebral toxoplasmosis. Anti-toxoplasma treatment was initiated immediately, followed by active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) 1 month later. At 2 months of HAART, he presented with progressive hyposensitivity of the right lower limb associated with brain and dorsal spinal cord lesions, compatible with paradoxical toxoplasmosis-associated CNS-IRIS, a condition with very few reported cases. A stereotactic biopsy was planned but was postponed based on its inherent risks. Patient showed clinical improvement with no requirement of corticosteroid therapy. Routine laboratorial analysis was complemented with longitudinal evaluation of blood T cell subsets at 0, 1, 2, 3 and 6 months upon HAART initiation. A control group composed by 9 HIV-infected patients from the same hospital but with no IRIS was analysed for comparison. The CNS-IRIS patient showed lower percentage of memory CD4+ T cells and higher percentage of activated CD4+ T cells at HAART initiation. The percentage of memory CD4+ T cells drastically increased at 1 month after HAART initiation and became higher in comparison to the control group until clinical recovery onset; the percentage of memory CD8+ T cells was consistently lower throughout follow-up. Interestingly, the percentage of regulatory T cells (Treg) on the CNS-IRIS patient reached a minimum around 1 month before symptoms onset. Conclusion Although both stereotactic biopsies and steroid therapy might be of use in CNS-IRIS cases and should be considered for these patients, they might be unnecessary to achieve clinical improvement as shown in this case. Immunological characterization of more CNS-IRIS cases is essential to shed some light on the pathogenesis of this condition. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12879-016-2159-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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32
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Ramos ELP, Santana SS, Silva MV, Santiago FM, Mineo TWP, Mineo JR. Lectins from Synadenium carinatum (ScLL) and Artocarpus heterophyllus (ArtinM) Are Able to Induce Beneficial Immunomodulatory Effects in a Murine Model for Treatment of Toxoplasma gondii Infection. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2016; 6:164. [PMID: 27933277 PMCID: PMC5122570 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2016.00164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2016] [Accepted: 11/11/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Infection by Toxoplasma gondii affects around one-third of world population and the treatment for patients presenting toxoplasmosis clinically manifested disease is mainly based by a combination of sulfadiazine, pyrimethamine, and folinic acid. However, this therapeutic protocol is significantly toxic, causing relevant dose-related bone marrow damage. Thus, it is necessary to improve new approaches to investigate the usefulness of more effective and non-toxic agents for treatment of patients with toxoplasmosis. It has been described that lectins from plants can control parasite infections, when used as immunological adjuvants in vaccination procedures. This type of lectins, such as ArtinM and ScLL is able to induce immunostimulatory activities, including efficient immune response against parasites. The present study aimed to evaluate the potential immunostimulatory effect of ScLL and ArtinM for treatment of T. gondii infection during acute phase, considering that there is no study in the literature accomplishing this issue. For this purpose, bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) were treated with different concentrations from each lectin to determine the maximum concentration without or with lowest cytotoxic effect. After, it was also measured the cytokine levels produced by these cells when stimulated by the selected concentrations of lectins. We found that ScLL showed high capacity to induce of pro-inflammatory cytokine production, while ArtinM was able to induce especially an anti-inflammatory cytokines production. Furthermore, both lectins were able to increase NO levels. Next, we evaluated the treatment effect of ScLL and ArtinM in C57BL/6 mice infected by ME49 strain from T. gondii. The animals were infected and treated with ScLL, ArtinM, ArtinM plus ScLL, or sulfadiazine, and the following parameters analyzed: Cytokines production, brain parasite burden and survival rates. Our results demonstrated that the ScLL or ScLL plus ArtinM treatment induced production of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, showing differential but complementary profiles. Moreover, when compared with non-treated mice, the parasite burden was significantly lower and survival rates higher in mice treated with ScLL or ScLL plus ArtinM, similarly with sulfadiazine treatment. In conclusion, the results demonstrated the suitable potential immunotherapeutic effect of ScLL and ArtinM lectins to control acute toxoplasmosis in this experimental murine model.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eliézer L P Ramos
- Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas-Universidade Federal de Uberlândia Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Silas S Santana
- Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas-Universidade Federal de Uberlândia Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Murilo V Silva
- Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas-Universidade Federal de Uberlândia Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Fernanda M Santiago
- Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas-Universidade Federal de Uberlândia Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Tiago W P Mineo
- Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas-Universidade Federal de Uberlândia Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - José R Mineo
- Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas-Universidade Federal de Uberlândia Uberlândia, Brazil
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Wang S, Wang Z, Gu Y, Li Z, Li Z, Wei F, Liu Q. Toxoplasma gondii mitogen-activated protein kinases are associated with inflammasome activation in infected mice. Microbes Infect 2016; 18:696-700. [DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2016.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2016] [Revised: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 07/18/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Li XZ, Lv L, Zhang X, Anchang KY, Abdullahi AY, Tu L, Wang X, Xia L, Zhang XX, Feng W, Lu C, Li S, Yuan ZG. Recombinant canine adenovirus type-2 expressing TgROP16 provides partial protection against acute Toxoplasma gondii infection in mice. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2016; 45:447-453. [PMID: 27742446 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2016.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2016] [Revised: 10/07/2016] [Accepted: 10/10/2016] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
We previously demonstrated that the survival time of BALB/c mice challenged with Toxoplasma gondii RH strain was prolonged by immunising the mice with a eukaryotic vector expressing the protein ROP16 of T. gondii. Building upon previous findings, we are exploring improved vaccination strategies to enhance protection. In this work, a novel recombinant canine adenovirus type 2 expressing ROP16 (CAV-2-ROP16) of T. gondii was constructed and identified to express ROP16 in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells (MDCK) cells by western blot (WB) and indirect immunofluorescence (IFA) assays. Intramuscular immunisation of BALB/c mice with CAV-2-ROP16 was performed to evaluate the humoral and cellular immune responses. This vaccination triggered significant humoral and cellular responses, including ROP16-stimulated lymphoproliferation (P<0.05). Compared to control groups, the CAV-2-ROP16 immunised mice had high production of IFN-γ, IL-2 and IL-12 (P<0.05), with a predominance of IgG2a production, but not IL-10 (P>0.05), revealing that a predominant Th1-type response had developed. The cell-mediated cytotoxic activity with high levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α was significantly increased in both CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell compartments in the mice immunised with CAV-2-ROP16 (P<0.05), compared to three control groups. In addition, when immunised mice were challenged with the RH strain of T. gondii, they showed a significantly increased survival rate (25%) 80days post infection compared with control mice that all died within seven days (P<0.05). The 25% protection rate elicited by the recombinant virus CAV-2-ROP16 has not been achieved in the field of anti-T. gondii vaccination until now. Our work presents the successful use of recombinant virus CAV-2-ROP16 in vaccination protocols to protect against intraperitoneal challenge with the virulent RH strain of T. gondii. This system was shown to be extremely efficient in eliciting humoral and cellular immune responses that led to a significant improvement in survival time in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiu-Zhen Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control for Severe Clinical Animal Diseases, 483 Wushan Rd, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510642, PR China; College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510642, PR China
| | - Lin Lv
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control for Severe Clinical Animal Diseases, 483 Wushan Rd, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510642, PR China; College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510642, PR China
| | - Xu Zhang
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, Heilongjiang Province 163319, PR China
| | - Kenneth Yongabi Anchang
- Phytobiotechnology Research Foundation Institute (PRF), Catholic University of Cameroon, 999108 Bamenda, Cameroon
| | - Auwalu Yusuf Abdullahi
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control for Severe Clinical Animal Diseases, 483 Wushan Rd, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510642, PR China; College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510642, PR China
| | - Liqing Tu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control for Severe Clinical Animal Diseases, 483 Wushan Rd, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510642, PR China; College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510642, PR China
| | - Xiaohu Wang
- Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510642, PR China
| | - Lijun Xia
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control for Severe Clinical Animal Diseases, 483 Wushan Rd, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510642, PR China; College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510642, PR China
| | - Xiu-Xiang Zhang
- College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510642, PR China
| | - Weili Feng
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control for Severe Clinical Animal Diseases, 483 Wushan Rd, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510642, PR China; College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510642, PR China
| | - Chunxia Lu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510642, PR China
| | - Shoujun Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control for Severe Clinical Animal Diseases, 483 Wushan Rd, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510642, PR China; College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510642, PR China
| | - Zi-Guo Yuan
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control for Severe Clinical Animal Diseases, 483 Wushan Rd, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510642, PR China; College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510642, PR China.
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Borges IP, Castanheira LE, Barbosa BF, de Souza DLN, da Silva RJ, Mineo JR, Tudini KAY, Rodrigues RS, Ferro EAV, de Melo Rodrigues V. Anti-parasitic effect on Toxoplasma gondii induced by BnSP-7, a Lys49-phospholipase A2 homologue from Bothrops pauloensis venom. Toxicon 2016; 119:84-91. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2016.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2016] [Revised: 05/13/2016] [Accepted: 05/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Toxoplasma gondii: Protective immunity induced by a DNA vaccine expressing GRA1 and MIC3 against toxoplasmosis in BALB/c mice. Exp Parasitol 2016; 166:131-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2016.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2015] [Revised: 03/28/2016] [Accepted: 04/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is a widespread parasite of warm-blooded vertebrates that also causes opportunistic infections in humans. Rodents are a natural host for asexually replicating forms, whereas cats serve as the definitive host for sexual development. The laboratory mouse provides a model to study pathogenesis. Strains of T. gondii are globally diverse, with more than 16 distinct haplogroups clustered into 6 major clades. Forward genetic analysis of genetic crosses between different lineages has been used to define the molecular basis of acute virulence in the mouse. These studies have identified a family of secretory serine/threonine rhoptry kinases that target innate immune pathways to protect intracellular parasites from destruction. Rhoptry kinases target immunity-related GTPases, a family of immune effectors that is expanded in rodents. Similar forward genetic studies may be useful to define the basis of pathogenesis in other hosts, including humans, where infections of different strains present with variable clinical severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S Behnke
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803
| | - J P Dubey
- Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Maryland 20705
| | - L David Sibley
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110;
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El-Sayed NM, Ismail KA, Badawy AF, Elhasanein KF. In vivo effect of anti-TNF agent (etanercept) in reactivation of latent toxoplasmosis. J Parasit Dis 2015; 40:1459-1465. [PMID: 27876967 DOI: 10.1007/s12639-015-0712-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2015] [Accepted: 08/20/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), an intracellular parasite, establishes a chronic infection by forming cysts preferentially in the brain. TNF-α plays an important role in controlling the infection caused by this protozoan. Thus, the blockade of TNF-α could cause reactivation of latent toxoplasmosis infection as well as increase the risk of acute toxoplasmosis. This study evaluated the effect of etanercept, a TNF-α antagonist in reactivation of latent toxoplasmosis compared to the therapeutic effect of sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine in combination on the progress of the disease. A total of 40 laboratory-bred Swiss albino mice were infected with Me49 strain of T. gondii and divided into four groups: infected control group; treated group with sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine; treated group with etanercept and treated group with both etanercept and sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine. The mean number and size of tissue cysts in brain smears of mice of each group were determined and also, serum levels of TNF-α were assessed in different study groups by an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The results showed that the mean TNF-α level was significantly different in the treated groups compared to that in infected control group. The highest level of TNF-α was found in the infected controls. After treatment with etanercept alone or combined with sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine, it was significantly decreased. In this study, reactivation of latent toxoplasmosis was observed by a significant increase in the mean number and sizes of Toxoplasma tissue cysts in brains of mice with established chronic toxoplasmosis after treatment with etanercept alone or combined with conventional treatment compared to both untreated chronically infected controls and infected mice treated with sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine. It was concluded that etanercept, a TNF-α antagonist may play a role in reactivation of latent toxoplasmosis. So, serological screening for toxoplasmosis might offer a valuable aid for patients treated with this drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nagwa Mostafa El-Sayed
- Medical Parasitology Department, Research Institute of Ophthalmology, Ministry of Scientific Research and Technology, Giza, Egypt
| | - Khadiga Ahmed Ismail
- Parasitology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Abeer Fathy Badawy
- Parasitology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Khaled Fathy Elhasanein
- Rheumatology Division, Internal Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
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Xu Y, Zhang NZ, Wang M, Dong H, Feng SY, Guo HC, Zhu XQ. A long-lasting protective immunity against chronic toxoplasmosis in mice induced by recombinant rhoptry proteins encapsulated in poly (lactide-co-glycolide) microparticles. Parasitol Res 2015; 114:4195-203. [PMID: 26243574 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-015-4652-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2015] [Accepted: 07/23/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii infection in humans and animals is a worldwide zoonosis. Prevention and control of toxoplasmosis based on vaccination is one of the promising strategies. In the present study, recombinant T. gondii rhoptry proteins 38 and 18 (TgROP38 and TgROP18) were encapsulated into poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLG) (1:1), respectively, to obtain the stable water-in-oil-in-water double emulsion. Female Kunming mice were then immunized with the protein vaccines twice at a 2-week interval. Eight weeks after the second immunization, 10 mice from each group were challenged with T. gondii PRU strain (genotype II). The entrapment rates of PLG-rROP38 and PLG-rROP18 ranged from 65.5 to 77.7% and 58.1 to 72.3%, respectively. Immunization of mice with rROP38 and rROP18 proteins encapsulated into PLG microparticles elicited strongly humoral and cell-mediated responses against T. gondii, associated with relatively high levels of total IgG, IgG2a isotype, and IFN-γ, as well as the mixed Th1/Th2 immunity responses. Immunization with various protein vaccines induced significant reduction of the brain cysts after chronic infection with the T. gondii PRU strain, and the most effective protection was achieved in the PLG-rROP38-rROP18-immunized mice, with a cyst reduction of 81.3%. The findings of the present study indicated that recombinant rhoptry antigens encapsulated in PLG could maintain the protein immunogenicity in an extended period and elicit effective protection against chronic T. gondii infection, which has implications for the development of long-lasting vaccines against chronic toxoplasmosis in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730046, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Animal Epidemiology and Zoonosis, Ministry of Agriculture, National Animal Protozoa Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, People's Republic of China
| | - Nian-Zhang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730046, People's Republic of China
| | - Meng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730046, People's Republic of China
| | - Hu Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730046, People's Republic of China
| | - Sheng-Yong Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730046, People's Republic of China
| | - Hui-Chen Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730046, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xing-Quan Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730046, People's Republic of China. .,Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for the Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, 225009, People's Republic of China.
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Boghozian R, Saei A, Mirzaei R, Jamali A, Vaziri B, Razavi A, Hadjati J. Identification of Toxoplasma gondii protein fractions induce immune response against melanoma in mice. APMIS 2015; 123:800-9. [PMID: 26152792 DOI: 10.1111/apm.12420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2014] [Accepted: 06/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Dendritic cells (DCs) play a crucial role in the initiation of adaptive immune responses against tumor cells. We recently found that protein components of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) could mature DCs efficiently. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to find the most effective protein components of T. gondii which are able to mature DCs and consequently instruct immune responses in tumor-bearing mice. Soluble tachyzoite antigens (STAgs) were fractionated by ammonium sulfate precipitation and subsequently by anion-exchange HPLC. Immature DCs (iDCs) were treated by these protein fractions and were monitored for IL-12p70 and IL-10 production. Moreover, the capacity of mature DCs (mDCs) to induce lymphocyte proliferation was investigated. Ultimately, we analyzed the ability of mDCs in instructing immune responses in tumor-bearing mice. We found that ammonium sulfate fraction one (A1) matured-DCs produced higher IL-12 level and IL-12/IL-10 ratio; therefore, this fraction was selected for further fractionation by anion-exchange HPLC. The results showed that anion-exchange HPLC fraction 14 (C14) matured-DCs secrete higher levels of IL-12p70 and IL-12p70/IL-10 ratio. Survival of the mice matured by A1 fraction increased significantly compared to other groups. Moreover, SDS-PAGE electrophoresis showed that different obtained fractions have distinct proteins based on their size. These results demonstrate that two protein fractions of T. gondii are able to mature DCs more efficient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roobina Boghozian
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Azad Saei
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Mirzaei
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Arezoo Jamali
- Department of Laboratory Sciences, School of Paramedicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Behrooz Vaziri
- Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Alireza Razavi
- Department of Immunology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Jamshid Hadjati
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Eissa MM, Barakat AMA, Amer EI, Younis LK. Could miltefosine be used as a therapy for toxoplasmosis? Exp Parasitol 2015; 157:12-22. [PMID: 26112396 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2015.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2014] [Revised: 06/05/2015] [Accepted: 06/14/2015] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic protozoal disease affecting more than a billion people worldwide. The shortfalls of the current treatment options necessitate the development of non-toxic and well-tolerated, efficient alternatives especially against the cyst form. The current study was undertaken to investigate, for the first time, the potential potency of miltefosine against Toxoplasma gondii infection in acute and chronic experimental toxoplasmosis. Results showed that there is no evidence of anti-parasitic activity of miltefosine against T. gondii tachyzoites in acute experimental toxoplasmosis. However, anti-parasitic activity of miltefosine against T. gondii cyst stage in chronic experimental toxoplasmosis could not be excluded as demonstrated by significant reduction in brain cyst burden. Moreover, considerable morphological changes in the cysts were revealed by light and electron microscopy study and also by amelioration of pathological changes in the brain. Future studies should focus on enhancement of anti-toxoplasma activity of miltefosine against chronic toxoplasmosis using formulation based nanotechnology. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study highlighting efficacy of miltefosine against chronic toxoplasmosis, thus, increasing the list of diseases that can be targeted by this drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maha M Eissa
- Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
| | | | - Eglal I Amer
- Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
| | - Layla K Younis
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
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Leroux LP, Dasanayake D, Rommereim LM, Fox BA, Bzik DJ, Jardim A, Dzierszinski FS. Secreted Toxoplasma gondii molecules interfere with expression of MHC-II in interferon gamma-activated macrophages. Int J Parasitol 2015; 45:319-32. [PMID: 25720921 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2015.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2014] [Revised: 01/16/2015] [Accepted: 01/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The obligate intracellular protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii interferes with major histocompatibility complex class II antigen presentation to dampen host CD4(+) T cell responses. While it is known that T. gondii inhibits major histocompatibility complex class II gene transcription and expression in infected host cells, the mechanism of this host manipulation is unknown. Here, we show that soluble parasite proteins inhibit IFNγ-induced expression of major histocompatibility complex class II on the surface of the infected cell in a dose-dependent response that was abolished by protease treatment. Subcellular fractionation of T. gondii tachyzoites revealed that the major histocompatibility complex class II inhibitory activity co-partitioned with rhoptries and/or dense granules. However, parasite mutants deleted for single rhoptries or dense granules genes (ROP1, 4/7, 14, 16 and 18 or GRA 2-9 and 12 knock-out strains) retained the ability to inhibit expression of major histocompatibility complex class II. In addition, excreted/secreted antigens released by extracellular tachyzoites displayed immunomodulatory activity characterized by an inhibition of major histocompatibility complex class II expression, and reduced expression and release of TNFα by macrophages. Tandem MS analysis of parasite excreted/secreted antigens generated a list of T. gondii secreted proteins that may participate in major histocompatibility complex class II inhibition and the modulation of host immune functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louis-Philippe Leroux
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Parasitology Building, 21,111 Lakeshore Road, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada; Centre for Host-Parasite Interaction, McGill University, Parasitology Building, 21,111 Lakeshore Road, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Dayal Dasanayake
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Parasitology Building, 21,111 Lakeshore Road, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada; Centre for Host-Parasite Interaction, McGill University, Parasitology Building, 21,111 Lakeshore Road, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Leah M Rommereim
- Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Borwell Research Building, 1 Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA
| | - Barbara A Fox
- Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Borwell Research Building, 1 Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA
| | - David J Bzik
- Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Borwell Research Building, 1 Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA
| | - Armando Jardim
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Parasitology Building, 21,111 Lakeshore Road, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada; Centre for Host-Parasite Interaction, McGill University, Parasitology Building, 21,111 Lakeshore Road, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada.
| | - Florence S Dzierszinski
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Parasitology Building, 21,111 Lakeshore Road, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada; Carleton University Research Office, Dunton Tower, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
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Barbosa BF, Lopes-Maria JB, Gomes AO, Angeloni MB, Castro AS, Franco PS, Fermino ML, Roque-Barreira MC, Ietta F, Martins-Filho OA, Silva DAO, Mineo JR, Ferro EAV. IL10, TGF beta1, and IFN gamma modulate intracellular signaling pathways and cytokine production to control Toxoplasma gondii infection in BeWo trophoblast cells. Biol Reprod 2015; 92:82. [PMID: 25673564 DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.114.124115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Considering that interleukin 10 (IL10), transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFB1), and interferon gamma (IFNG) are involved in the susceptibility of BeWo trophoblast cells to Toxoplasma gondii infection, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effector mechanisms triggered by these cytokines in the control of T. gondii in BeWo cells. For this purpose, infected/uninfected BeWo cells were treated with IL10, TGFB1 (50 ng/ml), and IFNG (20 or 100 ng/ml) in order to verify the phosphorylation of signal transducers and activators of transcription 1 (STAT1), STAT3, and Smad2, parasite intracellular proliferation, as well as the Th1/Th2/IL17A cytokine production. The treatment of BeWo cells with IL10 and TGFB1 favored T. gondii proliferation, and these findings were associated with STAT3 and Smad2 phosphorylation, respectively (P < 0.05). Also, these cytokine treatments were able to down-modulate TNF alpha (TNFA) and IL6 production (P < 0.05). Low concentration of IFNG was unable to control T. gondii infection but was able to trigger STAT1 phosphorylation and up-regulate IL6 and IL17A production; whereas a high concentration of IFNG was unable to activate STAT1 but down-modulated IL6 and TNFA and increased T. gondii proliferation (P < 0.05). IL10, TGFB1, and IFNG regulate a differential T. gondii proliferation in BeWo cells because they distinctly trigger intracellular signaling pathways and cytokine production, especially IL6 and TNFA. Our data open new windows to understand the mechanisms triggered by IL10, TGFB1, and IFNG at the maternal-fetal interface in the presence of T. gondii, contributing to recognizing the importance of these effector mechanisms involved in the vertical transmission of this parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bellisa Freitas Barbosa
- Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Janice Buiate Lopes-Maria
- Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Angelica Oliveira Gomes
- Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Mariana Bodini Angeloni
- Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Andressa Silva Castro
- Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Priscila Silva Franco
- Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Marise Lopes Fermino
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Medicine School of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Maria Cristina Roque-Barreira
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Medicine School of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Francesca Ietta
- Department of Life Science, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Olindo Assis Martins-Filho
- Laboratory of Chagas Disease, René Rachou Research Center, Fiocruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Deise Aparecida Oliveira Silva
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - José Roberto Mineo
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Eloisa Amália Vieira Ferro
- Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Oxidative stress control by apicomplexan parasites. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2015; 2015:351289. [PMID: 25722976 PMCID: PMC4324108 DOI: 10.1155/2015/351289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2014] [Accepted: 10/27/2014] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Apicomplexan parasites cause infectious diseases that are either a severe public health problem or an economic burden. In this paper we will shed light on how oxidative stress can influence the host-pathogen relationship by focusing on three major diseases: babesiosis, coccidiosis, and toxoplasmosis.
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Oliveira CBS, Meurer YSR, Oliveira MG, Medeiros WMTQ, Silva FON, Brito ACF, Pontes DDL, Andrade-Neto VF. Comparative study on the antioxidant and anti-Toxoplasma activities of vanillin and its resorcinarene derivative. Molecules 2014; 19:5898-912. [PMID: 24810805 PMCID: PMC6271522 DOI: 10.3390/molecules19055898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2014] [Revised: 04/26/2014] [Accepted: 04/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
A resorcinarene derivative of vanillin, resvan, was synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic techniques. We measured the cytotoxicity (in vivo and in vitro), antioxidant and anti-Toxoplasma activities of vanillin and the resorcinarene compound. Here we show that vanillin has a dose-dependent behavior with IC50 of 645 µg/mL through an in vitro cytotoxicity assay. However, we could not observe any cytotoxic response at higher concentrations of resvan (IC50 > 2,000 µg/mL). The in vivo acute toxicity assays of vanillin and resvan exhibited a significant safety margin indicated by a lack of systemic and behavioral toxicity up to 300 mg/kg during the first 30 min, 24 h or 14 days after administration. The obtained derivative showed greater antioxidative activity (84.9%) when comparing to vanillin (19.4%) at 1,000 μg/mL. In addition, vanillin presents anti-Toxoplasma activity, while resvan does not show that feature. Our findings suggest that this particular derivative has an efficient antioxidant activity and a negligible cytotoxic effect, making it a potential target for further biological investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio B S Oliveira
- Laboratory of Malaria and Toxoplasmosis Biology/LABMAT, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Bioscience Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Av. Salgado Filho, s/n, Lagoa Nova, Natal/RN, CEP 59000-000, Brazil
| | - Ywlliane S R Meurer
- Memory Studies Laboratory, Physiology Department, Bioscience Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Av. Salgado Filho, s/n, Lagoa Nova, Natal/RN, CEP 59000-000, Brazil
| | - Marianne G Oliveira
- Laboratory of Malaria and Toxoplasmosis Biology/LABMAT, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Bioscience Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Av. Salgado Filho, s/n, Lagoa Nova, Natal/RN, CEP 59000-000, Brazil
| | - Wendy M T Q Medeiros
- Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry and Polymers, Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Av. Salgado Filho, s/n, Lagoa Nova, Natal/RN, CEP 59000-000, Brazil
| | - Francisco O N Silva
- Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry and Polymers, Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Av. Salgado Filho, s/n, Lagoa Nova, Natal/RN, CEP 59000-000, Brazil
| | - Ana C F Brito
- Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry and Polymers, Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Av. Salgado Filho, s/n, Lagoa Nova, Natal/RN, CEP 59000-000, Brazil
| | - Daniel de L Pontes
- Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry and Polymers, Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Av. Salgado Filho, s/n, Lagoa Nova, Natal/RN, CEP 59000-000, Brazil
| | - Valter F Andrade-Neto
- Laboratory of Malaria and Toxoplasmosis Biology/LABMAT, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Bioscience Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Av. Salgado Filho, s/n, Lagoa Nova, Natal/RN, CEP 59000-000, Brazil.
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Wu B, Fu X, Huang B, Tong X, Zheng H, Huang S, Lu F. Comparison of dynamic expressions of Tim-3 and PD-1 in the brains between toxoplasmic encephalitis-resistant BALB/c and -susceptible C57BL/6 mice. Parasitol Res 2014; 113:1261-7. [PMID: 24481903 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-014-3764-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2013] [Accepted: 01/10/2014] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
T cells and IFN-γ are essential for controlling the reactivation of toxoplasmic encephalitis (TE), regardless of whether mice are susceptible or resistant to TE. It has been demonstrated that CD8(+) T cells exhausted in chronic Toxoplasma gondii infection result in TE reactivation in C57BL/6 mice. However, this phenomenon had not been reported in genetically TE-resistant BALB/c mice. To explore the immune mechanism of TE in different backgrounds of mice, the dynamic expressions of Tim-3, programmed cell death 1 (PD-1), and their ligands (galectin-9, PD-L1, PD-L2) in brain tissues were compared between TE-resistant BALB/c and -susceptible C57BL/6 mice infected with Prugniaud (Pru, a type II strain) of T. gondii in this study. Compared with infected BALB/c mice, there were remarkable pathological changes with significantly higher histological scores in the brains of C57BL/6 mice at 14, 35, 50, and 70 days postinfection (p.i., P < 0.01); significantly increased mRNA expressions of Tim-3 at 35 (P < 0.05) and 70 (P < 0.01) days p.i.; and significantly increased PD-1 at all the times p.i. (P < 0.01) in the brains of infected C57BL/6 mice. Furthermore, there were significantly increased mRNA expressions of PD-L1 in the brain of C57BL/6 mice than that in BALB/c mice at all the times p.i. (P < 0.01). Although the mRNA expressions of galectin-9 (ligand of Tim-3) were increased in the brains of both lineages of mice at all the times p.i., it showed no differences between the two lineages of mice. Our data suggest that the differences of Tim-3 and PD-1/PD-L1 expressions may contribute to the different immune responses between TE-resistant BALB/c and -susceptible C57BL/6 mice infected with Pru strain of T. gondii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Wu
- Department of Parasitology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangdong, China
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Gomes AF, Magalhães KG, Rodrigues RM, de Carvalho L, Molinaro R, Bozza PT, Barbosa HS. Toxoplasma gondii-skeletal muscle cells interaction increases lipid droplet biogenesis and positively modulates the production of IL-12, IFN-g and PGE2. Parasit Vectors 2014; 7:47. [PMID: 24457118 PMCID: PMC3904159 DOI: 10.1186/1756-3305-7-47] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2013] [Accepted: 01/21/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The interest in the mechanisms involved in Toxoplasma gondii lipid acquisition has steadily increased during the past few decades, but it remains not completely understood. Here, we investigated the biogenesis and the fate of lipid droplets (LD) of skeletal muscle cells (SkMC) during their interaction with T. gondii by confocal and electron microscopy. We also evaluated whether infected SkMC modulates the production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), cytokines interleukin-12 (IL-12) and interferon-gamma (INF-g), and also the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) gene induction. Methods Primary culture of skeletal muscle cells were infected with tachyzoites of T. gondii and analysed by confocal microscopy for observation of LD. Ultrastructural cytochemistry was also used for lipid and sarcoplasmatic reticulum (SR) detection. Dosage of cytokines (IL-12 and INF-g) by ELISA technique and enzyme-linked immunoassay (EIA) for PGE2 measurement were employed. The COX-2 gene expression analysis was performed by real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results We demonstrated that T. gondii infection of SkMC leads to increase in LD number and area in a time course dependent manner. Moreover, the ultrastructural analysis demonstrated that SR and LD are in direct contact with parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM), within the vacuolar matrix, around it and interacting directly with the membrane of parasite, indicating that LD are recruited and deliver their content inside the parasitophorous vacuole (PV) in T. gondii-infected SkMC. We also observed a positive modulation of the production of IL-12 and IFN-g, increase of COX-2 mRNA levels in the first hour of T. gondii-SkMC interaction and an increase of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis from 6 h up to 48 h of infection. Conclusions Taken together, the close association between SR and LD with PV could represent a source of lipids as well as other nutrients for the parasite survival, and together with the increased levels of IL-12, INF-g and inflammatory indicators PGE2 and COX-2 might contribute to the establishment and maintenance of chronic phase of the T. gondii infection in muscle cell.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Helene S Barbosa
- Laboratório de Biologia Estrutural, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Wang S, Zhao G, Wang W, Xie Q, Zhang M, Yuan C, Hassan IA, Liu X, Xu L, Yan R, Song X, Li X. Pathogenicity of two Toxoplasma gondii strains in chickens of different ages infected via intraperitoneal injection. Avian Pathol 2014; 43:91-5. [PMID: 24325275 DOI: 10.1080/03079457.2013.874007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
This experiment was conducted to investigate the pathogenicity of Toxoplasma gondii in broilers of different ages. Chickens at the ages of 7, 14, 21 and 28 days were injected intraperitoneally with 1 × 10(8) tachyzoites of RH and JS strains of T. gondii, respectively. The clinical signs and death of chickens were recorded daily post inoculation. Serum samples were collected at days 0, 4, 11, 18, 25, 32, 39, 46 and 53 post infection to screen T. gondii circulating antigens (TCA) and T. gondii circulating antibodies (TCAb). The results showed that T. gondii infection of 7-day-old chickens caused death, even though the mortality rate of the JS strain (100%) was significantly higher than that of the RH strain (70%). Chickens at 14 days old showed only mild clinical signs, but no death. Neither clinical signs nor death were recorded in 21-day-old and 28-day-old chickens. TCA and TCAb became positive at days 4 and 11, respectively. Both the TCA and the TCAb of groups 21 days old (RH strain) and 28 days old (both RH and JS strains) decreased to a negative level earlier than the other experimental groups. Specific T. gondii DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction in chickens that survived in the 7-day-old group (RH strain) and in all infected chickens of groups 14 days old and 21 days old injected with both strains. In the groups injected at 28 days old, three samples (RH strain) and one sample (JS strain) were found negative. The results indicated that the age of the chicken was an important factor affecting the pathogenicity of T. gondii and that these two strains of T. gondii displayed different virulence for chickens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Wang
- a College of Veterinary Medicine , Nanjing Agricultural University , Nanjing , Jiangsu , PR China
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Feigenson KA, Kusnecov AW, Silverstein SM. Inflammation and the two-hit hypothesis of schizophrenia. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 38:72-93. [PMID: 24247023 PMCID: PMC3896922 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 182] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2013] [Revised: 10/26/2013] [Accepted: 11/07/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The high societal and individual cost of schizophrenia necessitates finding better, more effective treatment, diagnosis, and prevention strategies. One of the obstacles in this endeavor is the diverse set of etiologies that comprises schizophrenia. A substantial body of evidence has grown over the last few decades to suggest that schizophrenia is a heterogeneous syndrome with overlapping symptoms and etiologies. At the same time, an increasing number of clinical, epidemiological, and experimental studies have shown links between schizophrenia and inflammatory conditions. In this review, we analyze the literature on inflammation and schizophrenia, with a particular focus on comorbidity, biomarkers, and environmental insults. We then identify several mechanisms by which inflammation could influence the development of schizophrenia via the two-hit hypothesis. Lastly, we note the relevance of these findings to clinical applications in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keith A Feigenson
- Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
| | - Alex W Kusnecov
- Department of Psychology, Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience Program and Joint Graduate Program in Toxicology, Rutgers University, 52 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8020, USA.
| | - Steven M Silverstein
- Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; University Behavioral Health Care at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 671 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08855, USA.
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50
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A toxoplasma patatin-like protein changes localization and alters the cytokine response during toxoplasmic encephalitis. Infect Immun 2013; 82:618-25. [PMID: 24478077 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00444-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that forms a lifelong infection within the central nervous system of its host. The T. gondii genome encodes six members of the patatin-like phospholipase family; related proteins are associated with host-microbe interactions in bacteria. T. gondii patatin-like protein 1 (TgPL1) was previously determined to be necessary for parasites to suppress nitric oxide and prevent degradation in activated macrophages. Here, we show that in the rapidly replicating tachyzoite stage, TgPL1 is localized within vesicles inside the parasite that are distinct from the dense granules; however, in the encysted bradyzoite stage, TgPL1 localizes to the parasitophorous vacuole (PV) and cyst wall. While we had not previously seen a defect of the TgPL1 deletion mutant (ΔTgPL1) during acute and early chronic infection, the localization change of TgPL1 in bradyzoites caused us to reevaluate the ΔTgPL1 mutant during late chronic infection and in a toxoplasmic encephalitis (TE) mouse model. Mice infected with ΔTgPL1 are more resistant to TE and have fewer inflammatory lesions than mice infected with the wild type and ΔTgPL1 genetically complemented with TgPL1. This increased resistance to TE could result from several contributing factors. First, we found that ΔTgPL1 bradyzoites did not convert back to tachyzoites readily in tissue culture. Second, a subset of cytokine levels were higher in ΔTgPL1-infected mice, including gamma interferon (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1). These studies suggest that TgPL1 plays a role in the maintenance of chronic T. gondii infection.
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