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Anxiety-like behavior and proinflammatory cytokine levels in the brain of C57BL/6 mice infected with Plasmodium berghei (strain ANKA)

2011; Elsevier BV; Volume: 491; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.neulet.2011.01.038

1872-7972

Aline Silva de Miranda, Norinne Lacerda‐Queiroz, Márcia de Carvalho Vilela, David Henrique Rodrigues, Milene Alvarenga Rachid, João Quevedo, Antônio Lúcio Teixeira,

Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms

Cerebral malaria (CM) is a severe complication resulting from Plasmodium falciparum infection. The underlying mechanisms of CM pathogenesis remain incompletely understood. The imbalance between the release of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines has been associated with central nervous system dysfunction found in human and experimental CM. The current study investigated anxiety-like behavior, histopathological changes and release of brain cytokines in C57BL/6 mice infected with Plasmodium berghei strain ANKA (PbA). Anxiety-like behavior was assessed in control and PbA-infected mice using the elevated plus maze test. Histopathological changes in brain tissue were assessed by haematoxylin and eosin staining. Brain concentration of the cytokines IL-1β, IL-4, IL-10, TNF-α and IFN-γ was determined by ELISA. We found that PbA-infected mice on day 5 post-infection presented anxiety symptoms, histopathological alterations in the brainstem, cerebrum and hippocampus and increased cerebral levels of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α. These findings suggest an involvement of central nervous system inflammatory mediators in anxiety symptoms found in CM.