title: Galleria mellonella hemocytes: A novel phagocytic assay for Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis.
abstract: Galleria mellonella is an excellent invertebrate model for the study of diseases that involve interactions with cells from the innate immune system, since they have an innate immune system capable of recognizing the pathogens. Here we present for the first time, an alternative model for an in vitro phagocytic assay using hemocytes of G. mellonella larvae to study infection by Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis. We showed that the insect phagocytic cells were able to engulf promastigotes. Furthermore, this infective form differentiated into the amastigote form inside those cells. However, the cells in this model seem resistant to the parasite, since amastigotes were depleted after 24h and NO levels were maintained after infection. Our model opens an avenue of possibilities for new investigations regarding other Leishmania species, mechanisms of invasion and evasion, receptors involved, release of signaling molecules and, above all, it is a novel infection model using invertebrate animals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathological Sciences, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernanda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tomiotto-Pellissier
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathological Sciences, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil.
authors.forename: Allan Henrique Depieri
authors.initials: AHD
authors.lastname: Cataneo
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathological Sciences, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tatiane Marcuso
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Orsini
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathological Sciences, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Paula Fortes Dos Santos
authors.initials: APFDS
authors.lastname: Thomazelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathological Sciences, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gabriela Alcântara
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Dalevedo
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil.
authors.forename: Admilton Gonçalves
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luciano Aparecido
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Panagio
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathological Sciences, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil.
authors.forename: Idessania Nazareth
authors.initials: IN
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathological Sciences, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ivete
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Conchon-Costa
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathological Sciences, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil.
authors.forename: Wander Rogério
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Pavanelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil. Electronic address: almeidar@uel.br.
authors.forename: Ricardo Sergio
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Almeida
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006434:Hemocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology*; D006458:Hemolymph / Q000469:parasitology; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000276:immunology; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007814:Larva / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology*; D007892:Leishmania braziliensis / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology; D007897:Leishmaniasis, Mucocutaneous / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology*; D007915:Lepidoptera / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D010586:Phagocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology*
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide
keywords: Cellular immunity; Invertebrates; Leishmaniasis; Phagocytic assay