title: Expression of cytokines and chemokines and microvasculature alterations of the tongue from patients with chronic Chagas' disease.
abstract: Chagas' disease is caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi and continues to be a significant public health problem, since 10 million people are still infected in Latin America. The purpose of this study was to analyze the microvasculature alterations as well the expression of cytokines and chemokines in the tongues from patients with chronic Chagas' disease (CC; n = 18), comparatively with a non-chagasic group (NC; n = 22). We observed several vascular alterations in the tongue of CC such as a greater vascular diameter, increased vascular wall area, high density of the blood vessels, and increased thickening of the capillary basement membrane. The expression of cytokines interferon gamma and tumor necrosis factor alpha and chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein 1alpha were significantly down-regulated in the tongue of CC group. These results demonstrated that, in the tongue of chagasic patients, a microvascular abnormality and immunological impairment occurs, probably due to chronic inflammation evoked by T. cruzi antigens.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biopathology and Molecular Biology, University of Uberaba, Av. Nenê Sabino, 1801, Bairro Universitário, Uberaba CEP 38.055-500, Minas Gerais, Brazil. sanivia.pereira@uniube.br
authors.forename: Sanivia A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: de Lima Pereira
authors.forename: Viviane O
authors.initials: VO
authors.lastname: Severino
authors.forename: Narayane L M
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Kohl
authors.forename: Denise B R
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.forename: Polyanna M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.forename: Juliana T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Clemente-Napimoga
authors.forename: Marlene A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: dos Reis
authors.forename: Vicente P A
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.forename: Marcelo H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Napimoga
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000473:pathology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D015536:Down-Regulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007843:Latin America; D008297:Male; D055806:Microvessels / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D014059:Tongue / Q000473:pathology*; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines