Korean J Parasitol.  2007 Dec;45(4):255-266. 10.3347/kjp.2007.45.4.255.

Protective effect of lectin from Synadenium carinatum on Leishmania amazonensis infection in BALB/c mice

Affiliations
  • 1Laboratorio de Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlandia, MG, Brazil. masouza@ufu.br
  • 2Laboratorio de Imunologia Celular e Humoral do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
  • 3Laboratorio de Patologia, Universidade Federal de Uberlandia, MG, Brazil.
  • 4Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Il, USA.
  • 5Servico de Infectologia, Hospital de Clinicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlandia, Uberlandia, MG, Brazil.

Abstract

The protective effect of the Synadenium carinatum latex lectin (ScLL), and the possibility of using it as an adjuvant in murine model of vaccination against American cutaneous leishmaniasis, were evaluated. BALB/c mice were immunized with the lectin ScLL (10, 50, 100 microgram/animal) separately or in association with the soluble Leishmania amazonensis antigen (SLA). After a challenge infection with 10(6) promastigotes, the injury progression was monitored weekly by measuring the footpad swelling for 10 weeks. ScLL appeared to be capable of conferring partial protection to the animals, being most evident when ScLL was used in concentrations of 50 and 100 microgram/animal. Also the parasite load in the interior of macrophages showed significant reduction (61.7%) when compared to the control group. With regard to the cellular response, ScLL 50 and 100 microgram/animal stimulated the delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction significantly (P < 0.05) higher than SLA or SLA plus ScLL 10 weeks after the challenge infection. The detection of high levels of IgG2a and the expression of mRNA cytokines, such as IFN-gamma, IL-12, and TNF-alpha (Th1 profiles), corroborated the protective role of this lectin against cutaneous leishmaniasis. This is the first report of the ScLL effect on leishmaniasis and shows a promising role for ScLL to be explored in other experimental models for treatment of leishmaniasis.

Keyword

Leishmania amazonensis; cutaneous leishmaniasis; lectin; protective effect; Synadenium carinatum

MeSH Terms

*Adjuvants, Immunologic
Animals
Antibodies, Protozoan/immunology
Antibody Formation
Antigens, Protozoan/immunology
Cytokines/genetics/immunology
Euphorbiaceae/*chemistry
Hypersensitivity, Delayed/immunology
Immunization
Immunoglobulin G/immunology
Latex/chemistry
Leishmania/immunology
Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous/*immunology/pathology
Mice
Mice, Inbred BALB C
Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II/genetics/immunology
Plant Lectins/*immunology/isolation & purification
Protozoan Vaccines/immunology/pharmacology
Skin/pathology
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