title: Effects of immunosuppressive therapy on murine Leishmania infantum visceral leishmaniosis.
abstract: We evaluated the effect of immunosuppressive therapy on the course of infection, the spleen cell immunophenotype and cytokine production during murine Leishmania infantum visceral leishmaniosis (VL). Rousseau et al. [1] recently reported that prolonged administration of dexamethasone induces limited reactivation of chronic murine visceral leishmaniosis, with no clear Th1-Th2 cytokine patterns. We found that another glucocorticoid, hydrocortisone acetate, had similar effects during acute visceral leishmaniosis, i.e. an increase in parasite burden in the spleen, but not the liver, of infected mice. A significant increase in parasite burden in both the liver and the spleen was only achieved when mice were treated with combined dexamethasone + pentoxifylline immunotherapy; increases in parasite burden were never associated with a specific spleen cell immunophenotype or a Th1-Th2 cytokine secretion profile.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, Faculté de Médecine Lariboisière-Saint-Louis, 15, rue de l'Ecole-de-Médecine, 75270 Paris Cedex 06, France.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Gangneux
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chau
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sulahian
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Derouin
authors.forename: Y J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Garin
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010431:Pentoxifylline / Q000494:pharmacology; D011897:Random Allocation; D013154:Spleen / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D015847:Interleukin-4; C021650:hydrocortisone acetate; D003907:Dexamethasone; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D010431:Pentoxifylline; D006854:Hydrocortisone