“MUCOSAL LEISHMANIASIS AND DISRUPTED PATTERNS OF CCL20 CHEMOKINE”

JULIA PIMENTEL, MARÍA FERNANDA GARCÍA BUSTOS, JORGE DIEGO MARCO, PAOLA BARROSO, PAULA RAGONE, ANDREA MESÍAS, CECILIA PÉREZ BRANDÁN, CECILIA PARODI

Congreso; IX Congreso Argentino de Parasitología; 2022

Leishmaniasis is an infectious disease caused by Lesishmania parasite and is related to poverty. Mucosal Leishmaniasis (ML) is one the clinical manifestations and is characterized by the presence of nasal and nasopharyngeal ulcers that compromise patient survival if left untreated. Wound resolution depends, among other factors, on the patient immune response through chemokines playing pivotal role attracting leukocytes to infection sites. From previous work, we showed that ML patients exhibited higher plasma levels of CCL20 chemokine compared to cutaneous Leishmanisis patients and a control group (CG). The aim of this work is evaluated if this differential periphery levels of CCL20 in ML is related with the genetics of the patient; if this increase is present in other nasal mucosa pathologies and if soluble Leishmania antigens (SLA) has a modulatory effect on chemokine production in vitro. From peripheral blood samples we isolated peripheral blood mononulcear cells (PBMCs) from ML patients (14), CG (7) and patients with paracoccidiomicosis nasal mucosal infection (PM=3). We performed Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) for CCL20 by RFLP-PCR and gene fragment digestion for genotype frequencies assessment. PBMCs cultures (7 days, 37°C, 5% CO2 atmosphere) were done in order to evaluate SLA impact on CCL20 production by PBMCs from ML patients and CG. Plasma and culture supernantants determinations were done by ELISA. Mutant genotype CT was the most frequent in CL patients (53%) and TT genotype in ML patients (75%) and CG (63%). PM patients plasma levels of CCL20 were higher than CG and ML (p=0,007). Culture production of CCL20 was higher by the presence of SLA in ML patients compared to CG (p=. 0,003). In this study, we showed CCL20 levels are altered in ML patients. Add to this, in vitro chemokine modulation seems to be affected by Lesishmania parasite. CCL20 is tightly related with leukocyte trafficking to infected mucosal tissues, so alterations in this chemokine levels might trigger an immune response that is not completely accomplished. In consecuense evolution times to ML patients are prolonged