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Analysis of the Epithelial Damage Produced by Entamoeba histolytica Infection
Published on: June 12, 2014
Anti-inflammatory defense mechanisms of Entamoeba histolytica
Raúl Silva-García1, Guadalupe Rico-Rosillo
1Unidad de Investigación Médica en Inmunología, Hospital de Pediatría, CMN-Siglo XXI, Avenida Cuauhtémoc #330, CP 06720, México, DF, México. silgarrul@yahoo.com.mx
Abstract:
The monocyte locomotion inhibitory factor (MLIF), a heat-stable oligopeptide found in the supernatant fluid of Entamoeba histolytica axenic cultures, may contribute to the delayed inflammation observed in amoebic hepatic abscess. This factor was isolated by ultra-filtration and high powered liquid chromatography, obtaining a primary Met-Gln-Cys-Asn-Ser structure, identified afterwards as the carboxyl-terminal (…Cys-Asn-Ser) active site. The selective anti-inflammatory effects of the pentapeptide have been observed in both in vitro and in vivo models, using a synthetic pentapeptide to maintain the same anti-inflammatory conditions during the experimental assays. Anti-inflammatory effects observed include inhibition of human monocyte locomotion and the respiratory burst in monocytes and neutrophils, increasing expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines and inhibiting expression of the adhesion molecules VLA-4 and VCAM, among others. In this review, we will describe the effects of MLIF detected so far and how it might be used as a therapeutical agent against inflammatory diseases.
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