title: Immunomodulatory effects of antileishmanial drugs.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The commonly used antileishmanial drugs are sodium antimony gluconate (SAG), amphotericin B, miltefosine and paromomycin. There are a number of reports that antileishmanial drugs show immunomodulatory properties. Here, we attempt to understand how the innate arm of the immune system is modulated in response to these antileishmanial drugs.
  
  
  METHODS
  BALB/c peritoneal macrophages were treated with miltefosine, SAG, amphotericin B or paromomycin. The membrane fluidity of macrophages following drug treatment was studied in terms of fluorescence anisotropy. The T cell-stimulating ability, production of cytokines and nitrogen and oxygen metabolite production in drug-treated macrophages were also studied. The study was also carried out using peritoneal macrophages from drug-treated BALB/c mice.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The antileishmanial drugs altered macrophage membrane fluidity, except amphotericin B. The drug-treated macrophages showed enhanced T cell-stimulating ability and generation of reactive oxygen species, nitrite, interleukin-12 and tumour necrosis factor-α.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Antileishmanial drugs can stimulate the innate arm of the immune system, which may have a significant bearing on the cellular arm of the immune system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India.
authors.forename: Moumita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.forename: Koushik
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.forename: Syamal
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000187:drug effects*; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D017737:Macrophages, Peritoneal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D008560:Membrane Fluidity / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D026361:Reactive Nitrogen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents; D016207:Cytokines; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D026361:Reactive Nitrogen Species; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species
keywords: SAG; amphotericin B; anisotropy; antigen presentation; immunomodulation; miltefosine; paromomycin