Evaluation of the local immune response and immunological factors correlated with cell exhaustion in chromoblastomycosis

• Grant number: 21/13772-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: November 01, 2022
• End date: March 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Pathological Anatomy and Clinical Pathology
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Felipe Domingues Passero
• Grantee: Italo Novais Cavallone
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB-CLP). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus Experimental do Litoral Paulista. São Vicente , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Chromoblastomycosis (CBM) is a neglected tropical disease caused by pigmented fungal species. After a traumatic inoculation into the skin, a local inflammatory response will occur with the participation of a series of elements of innate immunity, such as phagocytic cells. After phagocytosis, dematiaceous fungi differentiate into pigmented muriform cells, which are highly resistant to the microbicidal mechanisms of phagocytes. Furthermore, these fungi are able to inhibit the expression of MHCII, suppressing the development of an effective acquired immune response, and allowing the chronicity of the disease. In some chronic infectious diseases, it has been observed that macrophages become polarized to the M2 subpopulation of macrophages; in addition, cell populations can become exhausted due to a constant inflammatory environment that takes place at the site of infection; in this case, such cells express significant amounts of PD-1 and PD-L1 molecules, depressing the immune response. However, in CBM there is no information available on macrophage polarization or cell exhaustion mediated by PD-1 and PD-L1 molecules. Thus, the main objective of this project is to evaluate the density of Th1 and Th2 cytokine-producing cells, as well as M1 and M2 macrophages and PD-1 and PD-L1 positive cells in the skin of patients with CBM. Such subsets will be evidenced in the histological skin section of patients with CBM by the immunohistochemical technique using specific markers, and the density of such cells will be measured. In addition, some species of the etiological agents most commonly associated with human disease will be identified using molecular biology techniques. It is hoped that the data obtained in this study can shed light on the relationship between the etiological agents of CBM and the human host.

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

CAVALLONE, Italo Novais. Evaluation of the local immune response and immunological factors correlated with cell exhaustion in chromoblastomycosis. 2024. Master's Dissertation - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Medicina (FM/SBD) São Paulo.