Involvement of lipids from Leishmania braziliensis promastigotes and amastigotes in macrophage activation

CARFAGNA, IVANNA E; PENAS, FEDERICO N; BOTT, EMANUEL; LAMMEL, ESTELA MARÍA; GOREN, NORA B; BELAUNZARÁN, MARIA LAURA; GIMÉNEZ, GUADALUPE

MOLECULAR IMMUNOLOGY

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2020

0161-5890

Leishmania are obligate protozoan parasites responsible for substantial public healthproblems in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, with L. braziliensis beingone of the causative agents of American Tegumentary Leishmaniasis. Macrophages,fundamental cells in the innate inflammatory response against Leishmania, constitute aheterogeneous group with multiple activation phenotypes and functions. The outcomeof this infection depends largely on the activation status of macrophages, the first lineof mammalian defense and the major target cells for parasite replication. Theimportance of lipids, the major components of cell membranes, goes beyond theirbasic structural functions. Lipid bioactive molecules have been described inLeishmania spp., and in the recent years the knowledge about the biological relevanceof lipids in particular and their relationship with the immune response is expanding. Thepresent work analyzes the biological effects of L. braziliensis lipids from lysedpromastigotes (PRO) to mimic rapid modulatory processes that could occur in the initialsteps of infection or the effects of lipids from lysed and incubated promastigotes(PROinc), simulating the parasite lipid degradation processes triggered after parasitelysis that might occur in the mammalian host. To perform these studies, lipid profiles ofPRO and PROinc were compared with lipids from amastigotes under similar conditions(AMA and AMAinc), and the effect of these lipid extracts were analyzed on theinduction of an inflammatory response in murine peritoneal macrophages: LBinduction, COX-2, iNOS and Arginase expression, TNF-alpha, IL-10 and NOproduction, Arginase activity and M1/M2 markers mRNA induction.