Immunohistochemical evidence of stress and inflammatory markers in mouse models of cutaneous leishmaniosis

• Published in: Archives of Dermatological Research Vol. 307; no. 8; pp. 671 - 682
• Main Authors: Araujo, Alexandra Paiva, Giorgio, Selma
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.10.2015; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Biomarkers - analysis; Cyclooxygenase 2 - biosynthesis; Cyclooxygenase 2 - immunology; Cytokines - immunology; Dermatology; Disease Models, Animal; Immunohistochemistry; Inflammation - immunology; Leishmania - immunology; Leishmania amazonensis; Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous - immunology; Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous - parasitology; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Nitric Oxide - biosynthesis; Nitroimidazoles - therapeutic use; Original Paper; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases - biosynthesis; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases - immunology; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A - biosynthesis; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A - immunology; Stress markers; Hypoxia; Inflammation; Leishmaniosis; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Leishmania amazonensis
• ISSN: 0340-3696; 1432-069X
• DOI: 10.1007/s00403-015-1564-0

Leishmanioses are chronic parasitic diseases and host responses are associated with pro- or anti-inflammatory cytokines involved, respectively, in the control or exacerbation of infection. The relevance of other inflammatory mediators and stress markers has not been widely studied and there is a need to search for biomarkers to leishmaniasis. In this work, the stress and inflammatory molecules p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, cyclooxygenase-2, migration inhibitory factor, macrophage inflammatory protein 2, heat shock protein 70 kDa, vascular endothelial factor (VEGF), hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF-1α and HIF-2α), heme oxygenase and galectin-3 expression were assessed immunohistochemically in self-controlled lesions in C57BL/6 mice and severe lesions in Balb/c mice infected with Leishmania amazonensis. The results indicated that the majority of molecules were expressed in the cutaneous lesions of both C57BL/6 and Balb/c mice during various phases of infection, suggesting no obvious correlation between the stress and inflammatory molecule expression and the control/exacerbation of leishmanial lesions. However, the cytokine VEGF was only detected in C57BL/6 footpad lesions and small lesions in Balb/c mice treated with antimonial pentavalent. These findings suggest that VEGF expression could be a predictive factor for murine leishmanial control, a hypothesis that should be tested in human leishmaniosis.