title: Adoptive transfer of dendritic cells modulates immunogenesis and tolerogenesis in a neonatal model of murine cutaneous leishmaniasis.
abstract: We evaluated the adoptive transfer of DCs onLeishmania (L.) mexicana-infected neonatal BALB/c mice. DCs were isolated and purified from the spleens of the following donor groups: a) Adult BALB/c mice infected during adulthood withL. (L) mexicana; b) Adult BALB/c mice infected during neonatal life; c) Healthy neonatal BALB/c mice; d) Healthy adult BALB/c mice. A neonatal model of infection, generated after inoculation with 5 × 105promastigotes ofL. (L) mexicana, was used as the infection control group. Sixteen hours after intraperitoneal transfer of DCs (1 × 103, 1 × 105, or 1 × 106cells/ml), neonatal recipient BALB/c mice were infected. The adoptive transfer of DCs diminished disease progression in neonatal mice. This reduction depends on the quantity and provenance of transferred DCs, since the effect was more evident with high numbers of DCs from adult mice infected during adulthood and healthy neonatal mice. Protection was significantly reduced in animals receiving DCs from healthy adult mice but it was absent in mice receiving DCs from adult mice infected during neonatal life. These results suggest that genetic susceptibility toLeishmaniainfection can be modified during neonatal life, and that the period of life when antigens are encountered is crucial in influencing the capacity of DCs to induce resistance or tolerance.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Instituto de Biomedicina, Universidad de Central Venezuela, Apartado 4043, Caracas 1010A, Venezuela.
authors.forename: Loida V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Ponce
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas, Universidad de Carabobo, Valencia, Venezuela.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Corado
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Instituto de Biomedicina, Universidad de Central Venezuela, Apartado 4043, Caracas 1010A, Venezuela.
authors.forename: Nilka L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Díaz
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Instituto de Biomedicina, Universidad de Central Venezuela, Apartado 4043, Caracas 1010A, Venezuela.
authors.forename: Felix J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Tapia