title: Trichomonas vaginalis exosome-like vesicles modify the cytokine profile and reduce inflammation in parasite-infected mice.
abstract: Trichomonas vaginalis (Tv) is a flagellated parasite commonly spread through sexual transmission. This protozoan initiates a severe inflammatory process, inducing nitric oxide, interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, IL-10, IL-17 and IL-22 production by host immune cells. The parasites elicit these responses by releasing surface lipophosphoglycan, small extracellular vesicles (exosomes) and other factors. Tv exosomes are similar to mammalian exosomes and have been implicated in the modulation of IL-8 secretion by epithelial cells. Here, we report that exosome-like vesicles from T. vaginalis (Tv-ELVs) induced a more than 15-fold increase in IL-10 expression in RAW264.7 macrophages but only a two fold increase in IL-6 and TNF-α expression levels measured by RT-PCR. Because Tv-ELVs modulated the macrophage response, we also explored the effect of Tv-ELVs in a murine model of infection. Pretreatment with Tv-ELVs significantly increased IL-10 production as measured in vaginal washes by days 8 and 16 post-infection. Remarkably, Tv-ELVs-pretreated mice exhibited a decrease in IL-17 production and a significant decrease in vulvar inflammation. In addition, IL-6 and IL-13 were decreased during infection. Our results suggest that Tv-ELVs have an immunomodulatory role on the cytokine profile induced by the parasite and promote a decrease in the inflammatory process in mice infected with T. vaginalis.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología, Universidad de Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico.
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Olmos-Ortiz
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología, Universidad de Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Barajas-Mendiola
authors.affiliation: Center for Systems Biology, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barrios-Rodiles
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ingenierías Química, Electrónica y Biomédica, Universidad de Guanajuato, León, México.
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Castellano
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología, Universidad de Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arias-Negrete
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología, Universidad de Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico.
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Avila
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología, Universidad de Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico.
authors.forename: P
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2898-9845
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cuéllar-Mata
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000276:immunology; D055354:Exosomes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006028:Glycosphingolipids; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology; D008262:Macrophage Activation; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D000067996:RAW 264.7 Cells; D014247:Trichomonas Vaginitis / Q000276:immunology*; D014246:Trichomonas vaginalis / Q000276:immunology*; D014844:Vulva / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D006028:Glycosphingolipids; C008290:lipophosphonoglycan; D009569:Nitric Oxide
keywords: cytokines; exosome-like vesicles; trichomoniasis; vulvar inflammation