title: Immunohistochemical evidence of stress and inflammatory markers in mouse models of cutaneous leishmaniosis.
abstract: Leishmanioses are chronic parasitic diseases and host responses are associated with pro- or anti-inflammatory cytokines involved, respectively, in the control or exacerbation of infection. The relevance of other inflammatory mediators and stress markers has not been widely studied and there is a need to search for biomarkers to leishmaniasis. In this work, the stress and inflammatory molecules p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, cyclooxygenase-2, migration inhibitory factor, macrophage inflammatory protein 2, heat shock protein 70 kDa, vascular endothelial factor (VEGF), hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF-1α and HIF-2α), heme oxygenase and galectin-3 expression were assessed immunohistochemically in self-controlled lesions in C57BL/6 mice and severe lesions in Balb/c mice infected with Leishmania amazonensis. The results indicated that the majority of molecules were expressed in the cutaneous lesions of both C57BL/6 and Balb/c mice during various phases of infection, suggesting no obvious correlation between the stress and inflammatory molecule expression and the control/exacerbation of leishmanial lesions. However, the cytokine VEGF was only detected in C57BL/6 footpad lesions and small lesions in Balb/c mice treated with antimonial pentavalent. These findings suggest that VEGF expression could be a predictive factor for murine leishmanial control, a hypothesis that should be tested in human leishmaniosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Biology, Biology Institute, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Caixa Postal 6109, Campinas, São Paulo, 13083-970, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alexandra Paiva
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Araujo
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Biology, Biology Institute, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Caixa Postal 6109, Campinas, São Paulo, 13083-970, Brazil. sgiorgio@unicamp.br.
authors.forename: Selma
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Giorgio
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology*; D007891:Leishmania / Q000276:immunology; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000096:biosynthesis; D009593:Nitroimidazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines; D009593:Nitroimidazoles; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; C467480:vascular endothelial growth factor A, mouse; D009569:Nitric Oxide; C033815:pimonidazole; C077623:Ptgs2 protein, mouse; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
keywords: Hypoxia; Inflammation; Leishmania amazonensis; Leishmaniosis; Stress markers; Vascular endothelial growth factor