Transforming Growth Factor β and Immunosuppression in Experimental Visceral Leishmaniasis |
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| Authors: | Virmondes Rodrigues, Jr., Jo o Santana da Silva, Antonio Campos-Neto |
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| Affiliation: | Virmondes Rodrigues, Jr., João Santana da Silva, and Antonio Campos-Neto |
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| Abstract: | Hamsters infected with Leishmania donovani develop a disease similar to human kala-azar. They present hypergammaglobulinemia, and their T cells do not respond to parasite antigens. This unresponsiveness has been primarily ascribed to defects in antigen-presenting cells (APCs), because these cells are unable to stimulate proliferation of parasite-specific T cells from immunized animals. In this study, we show that APCs (adherent spleen cells) from L. donovani-infected hamsters produce high levels of the inhibitory cytokine transforming growth factor β (TGF-β). Immunohistochemical studies with an anti-TGF-β monoclonal antibody (MAb) showed that this cytokine is abundantly produced in vivo by the spleen cells of infected animals. In addition, high levels of TGF-β are produced in vitro by infected hamster cells, either spontaneously or after stimulation with parasite antigen or lipopolysaccharide. Furthermore, in vivo-infected adherent cells obtained from spleens of L. donovani-infected hamsters caused profound inhibition of the in vitro antigen-induced proliferative response of lymph node cells from hamsters immunized with leishmanial antigens. Moreover, this inhibition was totally abrogated by the anti-TGF-β MAb. These results suggest that the immunosuppression observed in visceral leishmaniasis is, at least in part, due to the abundant production of TGF-β during the course of the infection. |
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