title: Intranasal immunization with LACK-DNA promotes protective immunity in hamsters challenged with Leishmania chagasi.
abstract: LACK (Leishmania analogue of the receptor kinase C) is a conserved protein in protozoans of the genus Leishmania which is associated with the immunopathogenesis and susceptibility of BALB/c mice to L. major infection. Previously, we demonstrated that intranasal immunization with a plasmid carrying the LACK gene of Leishmania infantum (LACK-DNA) promotes protective immunity in BALB/c mice against Leishmania amazonensis and Leishmania chagasi. In the present study, we investigated the protective immunity achieved in hamsters intranasally vaccinated with 2 doses of LACK-DNA (30 μg). Compared with controls (PBS and pCI-neo plasmid), animals vaccinated with LACK-DNA showed significant reduction in parasite loads in the spleen and liver, increased lymphoproliferative response and increased nitric oxide (NO) production by parasite antigen-stimulated splenocytes. Furthermore, hamsters vaccinated with LACK-DNA presented high IgG and IgG2a serum levels when compared to control animals. Our results showed that intranasal vaccination with LACK-DNA promotes protective immune responses in hamsters and demonstrated the broad spectrum of intranasal LACK-DNA efficacy in different host species, confirming previous results in murine cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Daniel Claudio
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: DE Oliveira Gomes
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Beatriz Lilian
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: DA Silva Costa Souza
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Herbert Leonel
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: DE Matos Guedes
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ulisses Gazos
authors.initials: UG
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Bartira
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rossi-Bergmann
mesh_terms: D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000818:Animals; D006224:Cricetinae; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D056724:Immunity, Humoral; D007114:Immunization; D007891:Leishmania / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000235:genetics*; D054332:Leishmaniasis Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008647:Mesocricetus; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D013154:Spleen / Q000469:parasitology; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D054332:Leishmaniasis Vaccines; D009569:Nitric Oxide