title: Endothelium adhesion molecules ICAM-1, ICAM-2, VCAM-1 and VLA-4 expression in leprosy.
abstract: Leprosy triggers a complex relationship between the pathogen and host immune response. Endothelium plays an important role in this immune response by directly influencing cell migration to infected tissues. The objective of this work is to investigate the possible role of endothelium in M. leprae infection, correlating the characteristics of endothelial markers with the expression pattern of cytokines. Thirty-six skin biopsy samples were cut into 5-μm thick sections and stained with hematoxylin-eosin and Ziehl-Neelsen for morphological analysis and then submitted to immunohistochemical analysis using monoclonal antibodies against ICAM-1, ICAM-2, VCAM-1, and VLA-4. Immunostaining for ICAM-1 showed a significantly larger number of stained endothelial cells in the tuberculoid leprosy (9.92 ± 1.11 cells/mm2) when compared to lepromatous samples (5.87 ± 1.01 cells/mm2) and ICAM-2 revealed no significant difference in the number of endothelial cells expressing this marker between the tuberculoid (13.21 ± 1.27 cells/mm2) and lepromatous leprosy (14.3 ± 1.02 cells/mm2). VCAM-1-immunostained showed 18.28 ± 1.46/mm2cells in tuberculoid leprosy and 10.67 ± 1.25 cells/mm2in the lepromatous leprosy. VLA-4 exhibited 22.46 ± 1.38 cells/mm2in the tuberculoid leprosy 16.04 ± 1.56 cells/mm2in the lepromatous leprosy. Samples with characteristics of the tuberculoid leprosy exhibited a larger number of cells stained with ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and VLA-4, demonstrating the importance of these molecules in the migration and selection of cells that reach the inflamed tissue.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciencias Biologicas e da Saude, Universidade do Estado do Para, Belem, Para, Brazil.
authors.forename: Juarez
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de Sousa
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.
authors.forename: Tinara Leila
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Sousa Aarão
authors.affiliation: Nucleo de Medicina Tropical, Universidade Federal do Para, Belem, Para, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rodrigues de Sousa
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciencias Biologicas e da Saude, Universidade do Estado do Para, Belem, Para, Brazil.
authors.forename: Kelly Emi
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Hirai
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciencias Biologicas e da Saude, Universidade do Estado do Para, Belem, Para, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luciana Mota
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciencias Biologicas e da Saude, Universidade do Estado do Para, Belem, Para, Brazil.
authors.forename: Leonidas Braga
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciencias Biologicas e da Saude, Universidade do Estado do Para, Belem, Para, Brazil.
authors.forename: Francisca Regina
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Oliveira Carneiro
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: D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism*; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D039041:Integrin alpha4beta1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D007918:Leprosy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; C065289:ICAM2 protein, human; D039041:Integrin alpha4beta1; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1
keywords: Endothelium; Immunology; Leprosy; Molecular adhesion