title: [Gangliosides in vitro effects on lymphocytes from patients with chronic Chagas disease stimulated with mitogens or heart or brain antigens].
abstract: In human Chagas'disease previous work has shown the occurrence of a T-lymphocyte CD4-positive population (a high producer of PAS-positive glycoproteins) with evidence suggesting a role in the formation of damages to the myocardium and neural structures in chagasic heart disease (ChHD). Other workers have taken such facts into consideration and have employed gangliosides (biological substances with neurotrophic and immunomodulatory properties) in chagasics with chronic cardiomyopathy and disautonomic signs, obtaining an Improvement in functional signs and a decrease in the number of PAS+ lymphocytes. In the present work we have studied the effect of mixed gangliosides (Cronassial on cell cultures of total leukocytes, or on mononuclear cells prepared through Ficoll-Hypaque. Blood was obtained from 14 patients with ChHD. Experiments were undertaken to assess the effect of policlonal mitogens Phytohaemagglutinin (Phy) and Concanavalin A (Con A) on blastic transformation, estimated by cell size and cytologic study. In addition, the production of PAS+ substances by the lymphocytes and blast were assessed. Gangliosides were added at final concentrations of 100 mg/ml or 200 mg/ ml. Cell viability was assessed by means of the Trypan blue test. With respect to blastic transformation, results showed a significant decrease in the cultures that received gangliosides 24 hours before mltogen administration, as compared with controls (p<0.001) (both for Phy and Con A). On the other hand, the production of lymphocytic PAS+ substances decreased in the cultures of chagasics in which gangliosides were added. Some of these results confirmed previous findings on the matter. The facts suggest that gangliosides can modulate some lymphocytic activities in chagasics.
authors.affiliation: Cátedras I y II de Biología Celular, Histología y Embriología, Instituto de Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Ciudad Universitaria, Argentina. hcabral@fcm.unc.edu.ar
authors.forename: Humberto R A
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Cabral
authors.forename: Ivón T C
authors.initials: IT
authors.lastname: Novak
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002598:Chagas Cardiomyopathy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000276:immunology*; D005732:Gangliosides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008934:Mitogens / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D005732:Gangliosides; D008934:Mitogens