Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Artigo Acesso aberto Produção Nacional Revisado por pares

BIBTEX RIS

Pro-inflammatory cytokines predominate in the brains of dogs with visceral leishmaniasis: A natural model of neuroinflammation during systemic parasitic infection

2012; Elsevier BV; Volume: 192; Issue: 1-3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.vetpar.2012.11.002

1873-2550

Guilherme Dias de Melo, Túlio Faria Seraguci, Augusto Schweigert, José Eduardo S. Silva, Fernanda Grecco Grano, Juliana Regina Peiró, Valéria Marçal Félix de Lima, Gisele Fabrino Machado,

Trypanosoma species research and implications

Visceral leishmaniasis is a multisystemic zoonotic disease that can manifest with several symptoms, including neurological disorders. To investigate the pathogenesis of brain alterations occurring during visceral leishmaniasis infection, the expression of the cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12p40, IFN-γ, TGF-β and TNF-α and their correlations with peripheral parasite load were evaluated in the brains of dogs naturally infected with Leishmania infantum. IL-1β, IFN-γ and TNF-α were noticeably up-regulated, and IL-10, TGF-β and IL-12p40 were down-regulated in the brains of infected dogs. Expression levels did not correlate with parasite load suggestive that the brain alterations are due to the host's immune response regardless of the phase of the disease. These data indicate the presence of a pro-inflammatory status in the nervous milieu of dogs with visceral leishmaniasis especially because IL-1β and TNF-α are considered key factors for the initiation, maintenance and persistence of inflammation.