Dados do Trabalho

Título

Tissue production of eicosanoids of the hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (HETE) class is associated with Leishmania infantum parasite burden and site-specific alterations during the chronic phase of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Mesocricetus auratus

Introdução

The Leishmania infantum infection alters lipid metabolism of the host during chronic disease named visceral leishmaniasis (VL), which become letal if not treated. In this context, bioactive lipids such as eicosanoids display a key role during VL, but the profile of these mediators were poor investigated.

Objetivo (s)

In this study, we evaluated the production of eicosanoids during the chronic phase of VL and their correlation with the inflammatory microenvironment in the experimental model in Mesocricetus arautus, considering that hamsters are the animal model most similar to the human disease.

Material e Métodos

For this, we infected the animals with Leishmania infantum intraperitoneally and after 150 days of infection, the plasma, spleen and liver samples from the animals were evaluated for eicosanoid production using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), as well as other methods to analyze hematological, biochemical, histological aspects and parasite load.

Resultados e Conclusão

We identified that the animals developed VL with clinical and laboratory characteristics similar to those observed in humans, with the presence of thrombocytopenia, anemia, lymphocytosis, renal alterations and icterus. The parasite load was higher in the spleen, as well as the levels of hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (5-HETE and 11-HETE). Furthermore, we identified that microscopic changes in the spleen and liver are associated with the production of 11-HETE and 5-HETE, respectively. Thus, our data indicate that HETEs may be associated with VL severity. Additional studies are needed to identify the possible mechanisms involved in the relationship between HETEs and parasitism in VL, since the biological effects of HETEs, as well as the receptors and mechanisms of production of these molecules are still being studied.

Palavras-chave

Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL), Leishmania infantum, eicosanoids, hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETE), lipid mediators, Mesocricetus auratus, chronic disease.

Agradecimentos

FAPESB, CNPQ, FIOTEC