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Nitric oxide and cellular immunity in experimental cutaneous leishmaniasis

N L Díaz1, M Fernández, E Figueira

  • 1Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Instituto de Biomedicina, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela.

Clinical and Experimental Dermatology
|June 5, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Resistant mice control Leishmania mexicana infection through early nitric oxide (NO) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production, while susceptible mice develop chronic disease with interleukin-4 (IL-4).

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Parasitology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Leishmania mexicana infection presents varying outcomes in different mouse strains.
  • Understanding the immune response, including nitric oxide (NO) and cytokine patterns, is crucial for predicting infection course.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the roles of NO and cytokine profiles in BALB/c (susceptible) and C57BL/6 (resistant) mice during Leishmania mexicana infection.
  • To correlate immune responses with lesion development and resolution.

Main Methods:

  • Measurement of NO derivatives in serum.
  • Immunohistological analysis of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), IFN-gamma, IL-4, and Langerhans cells (LC) in lesions.
  • Comparison of immune markers and lesion progression in susceptible and resistant mouse models.

Main Results:

  • Resistant C57BL/6 mice exhibited higher early levels of NO, iNOS, IFN-gamma (Th1 cells), and Langerhans cells in lesions.
  • Susceptible BALB/c mice showed a predominance of IL-4 (Th2 cells) and developed chronic, progressive lesions.
  • Lesion size and lymph node volume progression were similar in both strains despite differing immune responses.

Conclusions:

  • Early local and systemic NO production in resistant mice is linked to premature IFN-gamma production.
  • This early immune response in resistant mice may contribute to the resolution of Leishmania mexicana lesions.
  • Distinct cytokine profiles (Th1 vs. Th2) dictate the outcome of Leishmania mexicana infection in mice.

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