title: Inhibition of mouse lymphocyte proliferative response by glycosphingolipids from Leishmania (L.) amazonensis.
abstract: The effect of a purified preparation of glycosphingolipids (GSLs) extracted from Leishmania (L.) amazonensis amastigotes on murine lymphocytes was investigated. GSLs inhibited both concanavalin A (Con A)- or lipopolysaccharide-induced [3H]thymidine uptake by normal and immunized BALB/c mouse lymph node cells. The effect of total GSLs was dose dependent. Total GSLs also suppressed the two-way mixed lymphocyte reaction of BALB/c x C57BL/6 cells and the antigen-specific response of immunized mouse cells. Six pure bands as well as a pool containing a mixture of GSLs with five to seven sugar residues separated by a combination of HPLC and preparative HPTLC were tested and shown to be inhibitors of Con A stimulation. These results suggest that parasite glycosphingolipids may play an immunologically relevant role in leishmaniasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Giorgio
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Jasiulionis
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Straus
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Barbiéri
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003208:Concanavalin A; D005260:Female; D006028:Glycosphingolipids / Q000502:physiology*; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000502:physiology*; D007894:Leishmania mexicana / Q000502:physiology*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D007959:Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL
chemical_list: D006028:Glycosphingolipids; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D003208:Concanavalin A