Investigation of the imune response during canine leishmaniasis due to Leishmania infantum: Role of Toll-like receptors in ex vivo macrophages and in the choroid plexi

• Grant number: 15/13865-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): November 01, 2015
• Effective date (End): October 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Pathology
• Principal Investigator: Gisele Fabrino Machado
• Grantee: José Eduardo dos Santos Silva
• Supervisor: Laia Solano Gallego
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária (FMVA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araçatuba. Araçatuba , SP, Brazil
• Research place: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Spain
• Associated to the scholarship: 14/01202-9 - Investigation of pro-inflammatory factors and tight junction proteins expression in the choroid plexus of dogs with visceral leishmaniasis, BP.DR

Abstract

Visceral leishmaniasis is an anthropozoonosis caused by Leishmania chagasi (= L. infantum). In dogs, domestic main reservoir, the Leishmania parasite is able to modify the host immune response. The innate immune system detects microorganisms through pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) such as toll-like receptors (TLRs) that recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). TLRs up-regulate and activate pro-inflammatory responses in Leishmania infected macrophages, resulting in killing of the parasite. Several studies are based mainly on investigations into L. major infection in the mouse model, in contrast, there is a limited number of studies related to TLRs during L. infantum infection in dogs. As the immune response CNS would be signaled by the activity of peripheric immune response, we propose to evaluate the gene expression of TLRs and cytokine pro-inflammatory in peripheral blood macrophages of dogs with leishmaniasis. Also, in continuity with previous research on the evaluation of gene expression of TLRs and cytokines in the brain of dogs with leishmaniasis we intend to localize with immunohistochemistry the cell expression of TLR-2 in the brain and choroid plexuses.