Increased levels of cortisol are associated with the severity of experimental visceral leishmaniasis in a Leishmania (L.) infantum-hamster model.

Autor: Barros-Gonçalves TD; Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Pesquisas Médicas, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil., Saavedra AF; Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Pesquisas Médicas, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil., Silva-Couto LD; Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Pesquisas Médicas, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil., Ribeiro-Romão RP; Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Pesquisas Médicas, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil., Bezerra-Paiva M; Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Pesquisas Médicas, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil., Gomes-Silva A; Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil., Carvalho VF; Laboratório de Inflamação, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Neuroimunomodulação (INCT-NIM), CNPq, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil., Da-Cruz AM; Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Pesquisas Médicas, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Neuroimunomodulação (INCT-NIM), CNPq, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.; Disciplina de Parasitologia-DMIP, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, UERJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.; Rede de Pesquisas em Saúde do Estado do Rio de Janeiro/FAPERJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil., Pinto EF; Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Pesquisas Médicas, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.; Rede de Pesquisas em Saúde do Estado do Rio de Janeiro/FAPERJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: PLoS neglected tropical diseases [PLoS Negl Trop Dis] 2021 Nov 23; Vol. 15 (11), pp. e0009987. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Nov 23 (Print Publication: 2021).
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009987
Abstrakt: Background: Several infectious diseases are associated with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis disorders by elevating circulating glucocorticoids (GCs), which are known to have an immunosuppressive potential. We conducted this study in golden hamsters, a suitable model for human visceral leishmaniasis (VL), to investigate the relationship of Leishmania (L.) infantum infection on cortisol production and VL severity.
Methods: L. infantum-infected (n = 42) and uninfected hamsters (n = 30) were followed-up at 30, 120, and 180 days post-infection (dpi). Plasma cortisol was analyzed by radioimmunoassay and cytokines, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and arginase by RT-qPCR.
Results: All hamsters showed splenomegaly at 180 dpi. Increased parasite burden was associated with higher arginase expression and lower iNOS induction. Cortisol levels were elevated in infected animals in all-time points evaluated. Except for monocytes, all other leucocytes showed a strong negative correlation with cortisol, while transaminases were positively correlated. Immunological markers as interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, IL-10, and transforming growth-factor-β (TGF-β) were positively correlated to cortisol production, while interferon-γ (IFN-γ) presented a negative correlation. A network analysis showed cortisol as an important knot linking clinical status and immunological parameters.
Conclusions: These results suggest that L. infantum increases the systemic levels of cortisol, which showed to be associated with hematological, biochemical, and immunological parameters associated to VL severity.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Databáze: MEDLINE
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