title: Peripheral blood fibrocytes: new information to explain the dynamics of Leishmania infection.
abstract: Fibrocytes are important for understanding the progression of many diseases because they are present in areas where pathogenic lesions are generated. However, the morphology of fibrocytes and their interactions with parasites are poorly understood. In this study, we examined the morphology of peripheral blood fibrocytes and their interactions with Leishmania (L.) amazonensis . Through ultrastructural analysis, we describe the details of fibrocyte morphology and how fibrocytes rapidly internalise Leishmania promastigotes. The parasites differentiated into amastigotes after 2 h in phagolysosomes and the infection was completely resolved after 72 h. Early in the infection, we found increased nitric oxide production and large lysosomes with electron-dense material. These factors may regulate the proliferation and death of the parasites. Because fibrocytes are present at the infection site and are directly involved in developing cutaneous leishmaniasis, they are targets for effective, non-toxic cell-based therapies that control and treat leishmaniasis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biologia Estrutural, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
authors.forename: Roger Magno
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Macedo-Silva
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biologia Estrutural, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
authors.forename: Carina de Lima Pereira dos
authors.initials: Cde L
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biologia Estrutural, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
authors.forename: Vanessa Alvaro
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Diniz
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Histologia e Embriologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de JaneiroRJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Jorge José de
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biologia Estrutural, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
authors.forename: Camila
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guerra
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biologia Estrutural, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
authors.forename: Suzana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Côrte-Real
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions / Q000502:physiology; D007891:Leishmania / Q000502:physiology*; D007896:Leishmaniasis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000469:parasitology*; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000166:cytology; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C / Q000469:parasitology; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D061251:Primary Cell Culture; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide