title: Correlation between nerve growth factor and tissue expression of IL-17 in leprosy.
abstract: Leprosy is a serious public health problem in peripheral and developing countries. Leprosy is a chronic infectious-contagious disease caused by the intracellular, bacillus Mycobacterium leprae, which causes tissue damage and demyelination of peripheral nerves. Recent studies have demonstrated the participation of new subtype's cytokines profile in the inflammatory response of leprosy. Since nerve functions are affected by inflammatory response during the course of leprosy, changes in the production of NGF and its receptor (NGF R) may be directly associated with disability and sensory loss. Skin biopsies were collected and submitted to immunohistochemistry using specific antibodies to IL-17, NGF and NGF R. Quantitative analysis of NGF, NGFR and IL-17 immunostaining showed a significant difference between the clinical forms, with higher expression of NGF and NGFR in lepromatous leprosy and IL-17 in tuberculoid leprosy. The present study showed that IL-17, in addition to stimulating an inflammatory response, negatively regulates the action of NGF and NGF R in the polar forms of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciencias Biologicas e da Saude, Universidade do Estado do Para, Belem, Para, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tinara Leila de Sousa
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Aarão
authors.affiliation: Nucleo de Medicina Tropical, Universidade Federal do Para, Belem, Para, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jorge Rodrigues
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: de Sousa
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciencias Biologicas e da Saude, Universidade do Estado do Para, Belem, Para, Brazil.
authors.forename: Beatriz Santos
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Botelho
authors.affiliation: Nucleo de Medicina Tropical, Universidade Federal do Para, Belem, Para, Brazil.
authors.forename: Hellen Thais
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Fuzii
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciencias Biologicas e da Saude, Universidade do Estado do Para, Belem, Para, Brazil; Nucleo de Medicina Tropical, Universidade Federal do Para, Belem, Para, Brazil. Electronic address: juarez@pesquisador.cnpq.br.
authors.forename: Juarez Antonio Simões
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Quaresma
mesh_terms: D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D007918:Leprosy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D015440:Leprosy, Lepromatous / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000276:immunology*; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D017475:Receptors, Nerve Growth Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; C508717:IL17A protein, human; D020381:Interleukin-17; C502240:NGF protein, human; C484065:NGFR protein, human; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D017475:Receptors, Nerve Growth Factor; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor
keywords: Cytokines; IL-17; Immunopathology; Nerve grown factor