Korean J Parasitol.  2004 Dec;42(4):175-183. 10.3347/kjp.2004.42.4.175.

Effects of iNOS inhibitor on IFN-gamma production and apoptosis of splenocytes in genetically different strains of mice infected with Toxoplasma gondii

• Kang KM
• Lee GS
• Lee JH
• Choi IW
• Shin DW
• Lee YH

• KMID: 1720487
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2004.42.4.175

Abstract

To evaluate the role of nitric oxide (NO) in IFN-gamma production and apoptosis of splenocytes in genetically different strains of mice with toxoplasmosis, BALB/c (a toxoplasmosis resistant strain) and C57BL/6 (a toxoplasmosis susceptible strain) mice were infected with Toxoplasma gondii cysts orally and subsequently injected intraperitoneally with aminoguanidine, an iNOS inhibitor (AG; 35 mg/kg per mouse daily for 14 days). When BALB/c or C57BL/6 mice were infected with T. gondii without AG treatment, number of brain cysts, NO and IFN-gamma production by splenocytes, and percentages of apoptotic splenocytes were increased compared to uninfected control mice without AG treatment. AG treatment increased the number of brain cysts, and reduced NO and IFN-gamma production in T. gondii-infected C57BL/6 mice. In contrast, in T. gondii-infected BABL/c mice, the number of brain cysts, and NO and IFN-gamma production of splenocytes was not altered by treatment with AG. However, the percentages of apoptotic splenocytes in T. gondii-infected BALB/c or C57BL/6 mice were not affected by AG treatment. These results suggest that NO modulates IFN-gamma production in T. gondii-infected C57BL/6 mice, and that NO is involved in mediating a protective response in toxoplasmosis susceptible, but not resistant, mice strain during acute infection.

Keyword

Toxoplasma gondii; nitric oxide; interferon-gamma; apoptosis

MeSH Terms

Animals
Apoptosis/drug effects/*immunology
Comparative Study
Female
Guanidines/*pharmacology
Interferon Type II/*biosynthesis
Mice
Mice, Inbred BALB C
Mice, Inbred C57BL
Nitric Oxide/*biosynthesis
Nitric-Oxide Synthase/*antagonists & inhibitors
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Species Specificity
Spleen/immunology
Toxoplasmosis, Animal/*immunology