title: High interleukin 17 expression is correlated with better cardiac function in human Chagas disease.
abstract: This study was designed to investigate whether the expression of interleukin 17 (IL-17) is associated with the indeterminate or cardiac clinical forms of Chagas disease and whether IL-17 expression can be correlated with patients' cardiac function. Our results demonstrated that cardiac Chagas patients have a lower intensity of expression of IL-17 by total lymphocytes and lower frequency of circulating T helper 17 cells. Correlative analysis showed that high IL-17 expression was associated with better cardiac function, as determined by left ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular diastolic diameter values. Therefore, IL-17 expression can be a protective factor to prevent myocardial damage in human Chagas disease.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cell-Cell Interactions, Department of Morphology, School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luisa M D
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Magalhães
authors.forename: Fernanda N A
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Villani
authors.forename: Maria do Carmo P
authors.initials: Mdo C
authors.lastname: Nunes
authors.forename: Kenneth J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Gollob
authors.forename: Manoel O C
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: Walderez O
authors.initials: WO
authors.lastname: Dutra
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002598:Chagas Cardiomyopathy / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D058504:Th17 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D020381:Interleukin-17