title: Infection-induced respiratory burst in BALB/c macrophages kills Leishmania guyanensis amastigotes through apoptosis: possible involvement in resistance to cutaneous leishmaniasis.
abstract: The immune mechanisms that underlie resistance and susceptibility to leishmaniasis are not completely understood for all species of Leishmania. It is becoming clear that the immune response, the parasite elimination by the host and, as a result, the outcome of the disease depend both on the host and on the species of the infecting Leishmania. Here, we analyzed the outcome of the infection of BALB/c mice with L. guyanensis in vivo and in vitro. We showed that BALB/c mice, which are a prototype of susceptible host for most species of Leishmania, dying from these infections, develop insignificant or no cutaneous lesions and eliminate the parasite when infected with promastigotes of L. guyanensis. In vitro, we found that thioglycollate-elicited BALB/c peritoneal macrophages, which are unable to eliminate L. amazonensis without previous activation with cytokines or lipopolysaccharide, can kill L. guyanensis amastigotes. This is the first report showing that infection of peritoneal macrophages with stationary phase promastigotes efficiently triggers innate microbicidal mechanisms that are effective in eliminating the amastigotes, without exogenous activation. We demonstrated that L. guyanensis amastigotes die inside the macrophages through an apoptotic process that is independent of nitric oxide and is mediated by reactive oxygen intermediates generated in the host cell during infection. This innate killing mechanism of macrophages may account for the resistance of BALB/c mice to infection by L. guyanensis.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, C.P. 486, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG 30161-970, Brazil.
authors.forename: Junia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sousa-Franco
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Araújo-Mendes
authors.forename: Izaltina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Silva-Jardim
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: L-Santos
authors.forename: Daniela R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Faria
authors.forename: Walderez O
authors.initials: WO
authors.lastname: Dutra
authors.forename: Maria de Fátima
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Horta
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018334:Leishmania guyanensis / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008262:Macrophage Activation / Q000276:immunology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D017737:Macrophages, Peritoneal / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D016897:Respiratory Burst
chemical_list: D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species