title: Production of pro-inflammatory cytokines during the early stages of experimental Paracoccidioides brasiliensis infection.
abstract: Pro-inflammatory cytokines play an important role in both recruitment and activation of leukocytes migrating into tissues in response to invading pathogens. In this study the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, determined by ELISA assays, and the recruitment of leukocytes into the lungs of BALB/c mice infected with Paracoccidioides brasiliensis conidia were evaluated during the early stages of infection. The results showed that infected mice had a significant increase in leukocytes in the lung during the first 4 days with a peak at day 2 post-challenge; infiltrates were composed mainly of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN). Pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin (IL) 6, IL-1beta and macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP) 2 were produced at elevated levels during the first 4 days post-challenge, but only in pulmonary samples and not in sera. Additionally, during the early stages of infection, overall weight loss was recorded in infected mice. These results suggest that pro-inflammatory cytokines could be responsible for the recruitment of leukocytes into the lung during the early stages of P. brasiliensis infection. In addition, both pro-inflammatory cytokine production and leukocyte recruitment may participate in the control of infection by influencing the organization of the immune response in the host exposed to P. brasiliensis conidia.
authors.affiliation: Medical and Experimental Mycology Group, Corporación para Investigaciones Biológicas, Medellín, Colombia. agonzalezm@cib.org.co
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.forename: Jorge H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Sahaza
authors.forename: Blanca L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Ortiz
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Restrepo
authors.forename: Luz E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Cano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007249:Inflammation; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology; D010228:Paracoccidioides / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D010229:Paracoccidioidomycosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013997:Time Factors; D015431:Weight Loss
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines