title: Schistosomiasis differentially affects vasoconstrictor responses: up-regulation of 5-HT receptor-mediated aorta contraction.
abstract: Schistosomiasis, classified by the World Health Organization as a neglected tropical disease, is an intravascular parasitic disease associated to a chronic inflammatory state. Evidence implicating inflammation in vascular dysfunction continues to mount, which, broadly defined, reflects a failure in the control of intracellular Ca2+ and consequently, vascular contraction. Therefore, we measured aorta contraction induced by 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and endothelin-1 (ET-1), two important regulators of vascular contraction. Isometric aortic contractions were determined in control and Schistosoma mansoni-infected mice. In the infected animals, 5-HT induced a 50% higher contraction in relation to controls and we also observed an increased contraction in response to Ca2+ mobilisation from sarcoplasmic reticulum. Nevertheless, Rho kinase inhibition reduced the contraction in response to 5-HT equally in both groups, discarding an increase of the contractile machinery sensitivity to Ca2+. Furthermore, no alteration was observed for contractions induced by ET-1 in both groups. Our data suggest that an immune-vascular interaction occurs in schistosomiasis, altering vascular contraction outside the mesenteric portal system. More importantly, it affects distinct intracellular signalling involved in aorta contraction, in this case increasing 5-HT receptor signalling.
authors: Laboratório de Farmacologia Bioquímica e Molecular, Instituto Brasileiro de Medicina da Conservação-Tríade, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors: Suellen D'Arc dos Santos
authors: SD
authors: Oliveira
authors: Claudia Lucia Martins
authors: CL
authors: Silva
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000503:physiopathology; D019332:Endothelin-1 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin / Q000187:drug effects*; D012555:Schistosomiasis mansoni / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012701:Serotonin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D019332:Endothelin-1; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin; D012701:Serotonin