Estudo da resposta celular e apresentação antigênica dos fibrócitos na infecção por Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis

Abstract

Fibrocytes were initially identified by their fast recruitment to the injured tissues and by acting directly on the immune response through recognition, antigen presentation and production of cytokines and chemokines. According to Grab et al., 2004 fibrocytes may participate in the immune response to leishmaniasis and therefore, in this study we propose to examine the cellular response and antigen presentation of fibrocytes in infection by L. (L.) amazonensis. In vivo experiments C57BL/6 and knockout receptor TLR-2 animals were inoculated in the ear dermis with 105 promastigotes of L. (L.) amazonensis and 1,7, 15 days after infection ears and lymph nodes were removed and processed for flow cytometry. For in vitro experiments peripheral blood fibrocytes from C57BL/6 mice were evaluated for their morphological and phenotypic, MHC-II/B7-1/B7-2 expression and ability to activate CD4+ T cells. The analyses in the inoculum region showed significant increase in the percentage of fibrocyte in the C57BL/6 and TLR-2 knockout mice after 15 days of infection. At this site fibrocytes part of the immune response by cytokines production and MHC-II, B7-1 and B7-2 expression. The analyses in the lymph node showed the existence of a high percentage of fibrocytes in the control animals, however, after infection, this percentage was reduced. After infection it was verified that the fibrocytes of C57BL/6 were able to produce cytokines IL-4, IL-10 and IFN-γ during the first days. However, in the absence of TLR-2 fibrocytes in the lymph produced TNF-α and IFN-γ that may be related to cell activation and increased antigen presentation capacity of these cells during infection. In the lymph node it was found that fibrocytes may participate in antigen presentation after infection with L. (L.) amazonensis. However, in lymph nodes of mice C57BL/6 it was observed the significant reduction in the percentage of those cells expressing MHC-II, B7-1, which can be related to the presence of the TLR-2. In vitro fibrocytes of C57BL/6 showed high endocytic capacity, eliminating the parasites within the first 24 hours after infection, and expressed MHC-II/B7-1/B7-2 being were able to activate CD4 + T cells. Thus, our results suggest that fibrocytes may act in cellular response and antigen presentation during infection by L. (L.) amazonensis, however these functions can be modulated by the involvement of TLR-2 and the in microenvironment.