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Corral-Ruiz GM, Pérez-Vega MJ, Galán-Salinas A, Mancilla-Herrera I, Barrios-Payán J, Fabila-Castillo L, Hernández-Pando R, Sánchez-Torres LE. Thymic atrophy induced by Plasmodium berghei ANKA and Plasmodium yoelii 17XL infection. Immunol Lett 2023; 264:4-16. [PMID: 37875239 DOI: 10.1016/j.imlet.2023.10.006] [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: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
The thymus is the anatomical site where T cells undergo a complex process of differentiation, proliferation, selection, and elimination of autorreactive cells which involves molecular signals in different intrathymic environment. However, the immunological functions of the thymus can be compromised upon exposure to different infections, affecting thymocyte populations. In this work, we investigated the impact of malaria parasites on the thymus by using C57BL/6 mice infected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA and Plasmodium yoelii 17XL; these lethal infection models represent the most severe complications, cerebral malaria, and anemia respectively. Data showed a reduction in the thymic weight and cellularity involving different T cell maturation stages, mainly CD4-CD8- and CD4+CD8+ thymocytes, as well as an increased presence of apoptotic cells, leading to significant thymic cortex reduction. Thymus atrophy showed no association with elevated serum cytokines levels, although increased glucocorticoid levels did. The severity of thymic damage in both models reached the same extend although it occurs at different stages of infection, showing that thymic atrophy does not depend on parasitemia level but on the specific host-parasite interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- G M Corral-Ruiz
- Departamento de Inmunología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico; Posgrado en Inmunología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - M J Pérez-Vega
- Departamento de Inmunología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico; Posgrado en Inmunología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - A Galán-Salinas
- Departamento de Inmunología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico; Posgrado en Inmunología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - I Mancilla-Herrera
- Departamento de Infectología e Inmunología, Instituto Nacional de Perinatología, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - J Barrios-Payán
- Sección de Patología Experimental, Departamento de Patología, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - L Fabila-Castillo
- Departamento de Inmunología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - R Hernández-Pando
- Sección de Patología Experimental, Departamento de Patología, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - L E Sánchez-Torres
- Departamento de Inmunología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico.
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Savino W, Durães J, Maldonado-Galdeano C, Perdigon G, Mendes-da-Cruz DA, Cuervo P. Thymus, undernutrition, and infection: Approaching cellular and molecular interactions. Front Nutr 2022; 9:948488. [PMID: 36225882 PMCID: PMC9549110 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.948488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Undernutrition remains a major issue in global health. Low protein-energy consumption, results in stunting, wasting and/or underweight, three deleterious forms of malnutrition that affect roughly 200 million children under the age of five years. Undernutrition compromises the immune system with the generation of various degrees of immunodeficiency, which in turn, renders undernourished individuals more sensitive to acute infections. The severity of various infectious diseases including visceral leishmaniasis (VL), influenza, and tuberculosis is associated with undernutrition. Immunosuppression resulting from protein-energy undernutrition severely impacts primary and secondary lymphoid organs involved in the response to related pathogens. The thymus—a primary lymphoid organ responsible for the generation of T lymphocytes—is particularly compromised by both undernutrition and infectious diseases. In this respect, we will discuss herein various intrathymic cellular and molecular interactions seen in undernutrition alone or in combination with acute infections. Many examples illustrated in studies on humans and experimental animals clearly revealed that protein-related undernutrition causes thymic atrophy, with cortical thymocyte depletion. Moreover, the non-lymphoid microenvironmental compartment of the organ undergoes important changes in thymic epithelial cells, including their secretory products such as hormones and extracellular matrix proteins. Of note, deficiencies in vitamins and trace elements also induce thymic atrophy. Interestingly, among the molecular interactions involved in the control of undernutrition-induced thymic atrophy is a hormonal imbalance with a rise in glucocorticoids and a decrease in leptin serum levels. Undernutrition also yields a negative impact of acute infections upon the thymus, frequently with the intrathymic detection of pathogens or their antigens. For instance, undernourished mice infected with Leishmania infantum (that causes VL) undergo drastic thymic atrophy, with significant reduction in thymocyte numbers, and decreased levels of intrathymic chemokines and cytokines, indicating that both lymphoid and microenvironmental compartments of the organ are affected. Lastly, recent data revealed that some probiotic bacteria or probiotic fermented milks improve the thymus status in a model of malnutrition, thus raising a new field for investigation, namely the thymus-gut connection, indicating that probiotics can be envisioned as a further adjuvant therapy in the control of thymic changes in undernutrition accompanied or not by infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilson Savino
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Brazilian National Institute of Science and Technology on Neuroimmunomodulation, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Rio de Janeiro Research Network on Neuroinflammation, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- *Correspondence: Wilson Savino, ,
| | - Jonathan Durães
- Rio de Janeiro Research Network on Neuroinflammation, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Laboratory on Leishmaniasis Research, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Carolina Maldonado-Galdeano
- Laboratory of Immunology, Reference Center for Lactobacilli Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CERELA-CONICET), San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
- Laboratory of Immunology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Chemistry and Pharmacy, National University of Tucumán, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Gabriela Perdigon
- Laboratory of Immunology, Reference Center for Lactobacilli Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CERELA-CONICET), San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
- Laboratory of Immunology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Chemistry and Pharmacy, National University of Tucumán, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Daniella Arêas Mendes-da-Cruz
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Brazilian National Institute of Science and Technology on Neuroimmunomodulation, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Rio de Janeiro Research Network on Neuroinflammation, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, United Kingdom
| | - Patricia Cuervo
- Rio de Janeiro Research Network on Neuroinflammation, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Laboratory on Leishmaniasis Research, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Patricia Cuervo, ,
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Luo M, Xu L, Qian Z, Sun X. Infection-Associated Thymic Atrophy. Front Immunol 2021; 12:652538. [PMID: 34113341 PMCID: PMC8186317 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.652538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The thymus is a vital organ of the immune system that plays an essential role in thymocyte development and maturation. Thymic atrophy occurs with age (physiological thymic atrophy) or as a result of viral, bacterial, parasitic or fungal infection (pathological thymic atrophy). Thymic atrophy directly results in loss of thymocytes and/or destruction of the thymic architecture, and indirectly leads to a decrease in naïve T cells and limited T cell receptor diversity. Thus, it is important to recognize the causes and mechanisms that induce thymic atrophy. In this review, we highlight current progress in infection-associated pathogenic thymic atrophy and discuss its possible mechanisms. In addition, we discuss whether extracellular vesicles/exosomes could be potential carriers of pathogenic substances to the thymus, and potential drugs for the treatment of thymic atrophy. Having acknowledged that most current research is limited to serological aspects, we look forward to the possibility of extending future work regarding the impact of neural modulation on thymic atrophy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingli Luo
- Department of Parasitology of Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Biological Vector Control, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lingxin Xu
- Department of Parasitology of Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Biological Vector Control, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhengyu Qian
- Department of Parasitology of Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Biological Vector Control, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xi Sun
- Department of Parasitology of Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Biological Vector Control, Guangzhou, China
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Kinsella S, Dudakov JA. When the Damage Is Done: Injury and Repair in Thymus Function. Front Immunol 2020; 11:1745. [PMID: 32903477 PMCID: PMC7435010 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.01745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Even though the thymus is exquisitely sensitive to acute insults like infection, shock, or common cancer therapies such as cytoreductive chemo- or radiation-therapy, it also has a remarkable capacity for repair. This phenomenon of endogenous thymic regeneration has been known for longer even than its primary function to generate T cells, however, the underlying mechanisms controlling the process have been largely unstudied. Although there is likely continual thymic involution and regeneration in response to stress and infection in otherwise healthy people, acute and profound thymic damage such as that caused by common cancer cytoreductive therapies or the conditioning regimes as part of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), leads to prolonged T cell deficiency; precipitating high morbidity and mortality from opportunistic infections and may even facilitate cancer relapse. Furthermore, this capacity for regeneration declines with age as a function of thymic involution; which even at steady state leads to reduced capacity to respond to new pathogens, vaccines, and immunotherapy. Consequently, there is a real clinical need for strategies that can boost thymic function and enhance T cell immunity. One approach to the development of such therapies is to exploit the processes of endogenous thymic regeneration into novel pharmacologic strategies to boost T cell reconstitution in clinical settings of immune depletion such as HCT. In this review, we will highlight recent work that has revealed the mechanisms by which the thymus is capable of repairing itself and how this knowledge is being used to develop novel therapies to boost immune function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sinéad Kinsella
- Program in Immunology, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Jarrod A. Dudakov
- Program in Immunology, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, United States
- Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Immunology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
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Losada-Barragán M, Umaña-Pérez A, Cuervo-Escobar S, Berbert LR, Porrozzi R, Morgado FN, Mendes-da-Cruz DA, Savino W, Sánchez-Gómez M, Cuervo P. Protein malnutrition promotes dysregulation of molecules involved in T cell migration in the thymus of mice infected with Leishmania infantum. Sci Rep 2017; 7:45991. [PMID: 28397794 PMCID: PMC5387407 DOI: 10.1038/srep45991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2016] [Accepted: 03/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein malnutrition, the most deleterious cause of malnutrition in developing countries, has been considered a primary risk factor for the development of clinical visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Protein malnutrition and infection with Leishmania infantum leads to lymphoid tissue disorganization, including changes in cellularity and lymphocyte subpopulations in the thymus and spleen. Here we report that protein malnutrition modifies thymic chemotactic factors by diminishing the CCL5, CXCL12, IGF1, CXCL9 and CXCL10 protein levels in infected animals. Nevertheless, T cells preserve their migratory capability, as they were able to migrate ex vivo in response to chemotactic stimuli, indicating that malnutrition may compromise the thymic microenvironment and alter in vivo thymocyte migration. Decrease in chemotactic factors protein levels was accompanied by an early increase in the parasite load of the spleen. These results suggest that the precondition of malnutrition is affecting the cell-mediated immune response to L. infantum by altering T cell migration and interfering with the capacity of protein-deprived animals to control parasite spreading and proliferation. Our data provide evidence for a disturbance of T lymphocyte migration involving both central and peripheral T-cells, which likely contribute to the pathophysiology of VL that occurs in malnourished individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Losada-Barragán
- Laboratório de Pesquisas em Leishmaniose, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Adriana Umaña-Pérez
- Departamento de Química, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Bogotá, Facultad de Ciencias, Grupo de Investigación en Hormonas, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Sergio Cuervo-Escobar
- Departamento de Química, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Bogotá, Facultad de Ciencias, Grupo de Investigación en Hormonas, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Luiz Ricardo Berbert
- Laboratório de Pesquisas sobre o Timo, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Renato Porrozzi
- Laboratório de Pesquisas em Leishmaniose, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Fernanda N Morgado
- Laboratório de Pesquisas em Leishmaniose, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | | | - Wilson Savino
- Laboratório de Pesquisas sobre o Timo, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Myriam Sánchez-Gómez
- Departamento de Química, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Bogotá, Facultad de Ciencias, Grupo de Investigación en Hormonas, Bogotá, Colombia.
| | - Patricia Cuervo
- Laboratório de Pesquisas em Leishmaniose, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
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Ansari AR, Liu H. Acute Thymic Involution and Mechanisms for Recovery. Arch Immunol Ther Exp (Warsz) 2017; 65:401-420. [PMID: 28331940 DOI: 10.1007/s00005-017-0462-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2016] [Accepted: 03/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Acute thymic involution (ATI) is usually regarded as a virulence trait. It is caused by several infectious agents (bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi) and other factors, including stress, pregnancy, malnutrition and chemotherapy. However, the complex mechanisms that operate during ATI differ substantially from each other depending on the causative agent. For instance, a transient reduction in the size and weight of the thymus and depletion of populations of T cell subsets are hallmarks of ATI in many cases, whereas severe disruption of the anatomical structure of the organ is also associated with some factors, including fungal, parasitic and viral infections. However, growing evidence shows that ATI may be therapeutically halted or reversed. In this review, we highlight the current progress in this field with respect to numerous pathological factors and discuss the possible mechanisms. Moreover, these new observations also show that ATI can be mechanistically reversed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdur Rahman Ansari
- Department of Basic Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070, Wuhan, Hubei, China.,Section of Anatomy and Histology, Department of Basic Sciences, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (CVAS), Jhang, Pakistan.,University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS), Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Huazhen Liu
- Department of Basic Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
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