In vitro cytokines profile and ultrastructural changes of microglia and macrophages following interaction with Leishmania

Leishmania amazonensis resistance in murine macrophages: Analysis of possible mechanisms

Leishmaniasis encompass a group of infectious parasitic diseases occurring in 97 endemic countries where over one billion people live in areas at risk of infection. It is in the World Health Organization list of neglected diseases and it is considered a serious public health problem, with more than 20,000 deaths a year and high morbidity. Infection by protozoa from the genus Leishmania can cause several forms of the disease, which may vary from a self-healing ulcer to fatal visceral infection. Leishmania species, as well as host immune response and genetics can modulate the course of the disease. Leishmania sp are obligatory intracellular parasites that have macrophages as their main host cell. Depending on the activation phenotype, these cells may have distinct roles in disease development, acting in parasite control or proliferation. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to analyze Leishmania amazonensis infection in primary macrophage cells obtained from mice with two distinct genetic backgrounds, ie. different susceptibility to the infection; evaluating the cause for that difference. After infection, peritoneal macrophages from the resistant C3H/He strain presented lower parasite load when compared to susceptible BALB/c macrophages. The same was also true when cells received a Th2 stimulus after infection, but the difference was abrogated under Th1 stimulus. Nitric oxide production and arginase activity was different between the strains under Th1 or Th2 stimulus, respectively, but iNOS inhibition was unable to suppress C3H/He resistance. Hydrogen peroxide production was also higher in C3H/He than BALB/c under Th1 stimulus, but it could not account for differences in susceptibility. These results led us to conclude that, although they have an important role in parasite control, neither NO nor H2O2 production can explain C3H/He resistance to infection. Other studies are needed to uncover different mechanisms of resistance/susceptibility to L. amazonensis.

Microglia in neuropathology caused by protozoan parasites

Involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) is the most severe consequence of some parasitic infections. Protozoal infections comprise a group of diseases that together affect billions of people worldwide and, according to the World Health Organization, are responsible for more than 500000 deaths annually. They include African and American trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, malaria, toxoplasmosis, and amoebiasis. Mechanisms underlying invasion of the brain parenchyma by protozoa are not well understood and may depend on parasite nature: a vascular invasion route is most common. Immunosuppression favors parasite invasion into the CNS and therefore the host immune response plays a pivotal role in the development of a neuropathology in these infectious diseases. In the brain, microglia are the resident immune cells active in defense against pathogens that target the CNS. Beside their direct role in innate immunity, they also play a principal role in coordinating the trafficking and recruitment of other immune cells from the periphery to the CNS. Despite their evident involvement in the neuropathology of protozoan infections, little attention has given to microglia-parasite interactions. This review describes the most prominent features of microglial cells and protozoan parasites and summarizes the most recent information regarding the reaction of microglial cells to parasitic infections. We highlight the involvement of the periphery-brain axis and emphasize possible scenarios for microglia-parasite interactions.

Morphological changes, nitric oxide production, and phagocytosis are triggered in vitro in microglia by bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei

The flagellated parasite Trypanosoma brucei is the causative agent of Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT). By a mechanism not well understood yet, trypanosomes enter the central nervous system (CNS), invade the brain parenchyma, and cause a fatal encephalopathy if is not treated. Trypanosomes are fast dividing organisms that, without any immune response, would kill the host in a short time. However, infected individuals survive either 6-12 months or more than 3 years for the acute and chronic forms, respectively. Thus, only when the brain defense collapses a lethal encephalopathy will occur. Here, we evaluated interactions between trypanosomes and microglial cells, which are the primary immune effector cells within the CNS. Using co-cultures of primary microglia and parasites, we found clear evidences of trypanosome phagocytosis by microglial cells. Microglia activation was also evident; analysis of its ultrastructure showed changes that have been reported in activated microglia undergoing oxidative stress caused by infections or degenerative diseases. Accordingly, an increase of the nitric oxide production was detected in supernatants of microglia/parasite co-cultures. Altogether, our results demonstrate that microglial cells respond to the presence of the parasite, leading to parasite's engulfment and elimination.

Excretory and Secretory Proteins of Naegleria fowleri Induce Inflammatory Responses in BV-2 Microglial Cells

Naegleria fowleri, a free-living amoeba that is found in diverse environmental habitats, can cause a type of fulminating hemorrhagic meningoencephalitis, primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), in humans. The pathogenesis of PAM is not fully understood, but it is likely to be primarily caused by disruption of the host's nervous system via a direct phagocytic mechanism by the amoeba. Naegleria fowleri trophozoites are known to secrete diverse proteins that may indirectly contribute to the pathogenic function of the amoeba, but this factor is not clearly understood. In this study, we analyzed the inflammatory responses in BV-2 microglial cells induced by excretory and secretory proteins of N. fowleri (NfESP). Treatment of BV-2 cells with NfESP induced the expression of various cytokines and chemokines, including the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1α and TNF-α. NfESP-induced IL-1α and TNF-α expression in BV-2 cells were regulated by p38, JNK, and ERK MAPKs. NfESP-induced IL-1α and TNF-α production in BV-2 cells were effectively downregulated by inhibition of NF-kB and AP-1. These results collectively suggest that NfESP stimulates BV-2 cells to release IL-1α and TNF-α via NF-kB- and AP-1-dependent MAPK signaling pathways. The released cytokines may contribute to inflammatory responses in microglia and other cell types in the brain during N. fowleri infection.

Leishmania infantum and Leishmania braziliensis: Differences and Similarities to Evade the Innate Immune System

Visceral leishmaniasis is a severe form of the disease, caused by Leishmania infantum in the New World. Patients present an anergic immune response that favors parasite establishment and spreading through tissues like bone marrow and liver. On the other hand, Leishmania braziliensis causes localized cutaneous lesions, which can be self-healing in some individuals. Interactions between host and parasite are essential to understand disease pathogenesis and progression. In this context, dendritic cells (DCs) act as essential bridges that connect innate and adaptive immune responses. In this way, the aim of this study was to compare the effects of these two Leishmania species, in some aspects of human DCs' biology for better understanding of the evasion mechanisms of Leishmania from host innate immune response. To do so, DCs were obtained from monocytes from whole peripheral blood of healthy volunteer donors and from those infected with L. infantum or L. braziliensis for 24 h. We observed similar rates of infection (around 40%) as well as parasite burden for both Leishmania species. Concerning surface molecules, we observed that both parasites induced CD86 expression when DCs were infected for 24 h. On the other hand, we detected a lower surface expression of CD209 in the presence of both L. braziliensis and L. infantum, but only the last one promoted the survival of DCs after 24 h. Therefore, DCs infected by both Leishmania species showed a higher expression of CD86 and a decrease of CD209 expression, suggesting that both enter DCs through CD209 molecule. However, only L. infantum had the ability to inhibit DC apoptotic death, as an evasion mechanism that enables its spreading to organs like bone marrow and liver. Lastly, L. braziliensis was more silent parasite, once it did not inhibit DC apoptosis in our in vitro model.

Macropinocytosis: a pathway to protozoan infection

Among the various endocytic mechanisms in mammalian cells, macropinocytosis involves internalization of large amounts of plasma membrane together with extracellular medium, leading to macropinosome formation. These structures are formed when plasma membrane ruffles are assembled after actin filament rearrangement. In dendritic cells, macropinocytosis has been reported to play a role in antigen presentation. Several intracellular pathogens are internalized by host cells via multiple endocytic pathways and macropinocytosis has been described as an important entry site for various organisms. Some bacteria, such as Legionella pneumophila, as well as various viruses, use this pathway to penetrate and subvert host cells. Some protozoa, which are larger than bacteria and virus, can also use this pathway to invade host cells. As macropinocytosis is characterized by the formation of large uncoated vacuoles and is triggered by various signaling pathways, which is similar to what occurs during the formation of the majority of parasitophorous vacuoles, it is believed that this phenomenon may be more widely used by parasites than is currently appreciated. Here we review protozoa host cell invasion via macropinocytosis.

Insulin-like growth factor-I induces arginase activity in Leishmania amazonensis amastigote-infected macrophages through a cytokine-independent mechanism

Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis exhibits peculiarities in its interactions with hosts. Because amastigotes are the primary form associated with the progression of infection, we studied the effect of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I on interactions between L. (L.) amazonensis amastigotes and macrophages. Upon stimulation of infected macrophages with IGF-I, we observed decreased nitric oxide production but increased arginase expression and activity, which lead to increased parasitism. However, stimulation of amastigote-infected macrophages with IGF-I did not result in altered cytokine levels compared to unstimulated controls. Because IGF-I is present in tissue fluids and also within macrophages, we examined the possible effect of this factor on phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure on amastigotes, seen previously in tissue-derived amastigotes leading to increased parasitism. Stimulation with IGF-I induced PS exposure on amastigotes but not on promastigotes. Using a PS-liposome instead of amastigotes, we observed that the PS-liposome but not the control phosphatidylcholine-liposome led to increased arginase activity in macrophages, and this process was not blocked by anti-TGF-β antibodies. Our results suggest that in L. (L.) amazonensis amastigote-infected macrophages, IGF-I induces arginase activity directly in amastigotes and in macrophages through the induction of PS exposure on amastigotes in the latter, which could lead to the alternative activation of macrophages through cytokine-independent mechanisms.