Peptide Dimerization as a Strategy for the Development of Antileishmanial Compounds.

Leishmaniasis is recognized as a serious public health problem in Brazil and around the world. The limited availability of drugs for treatment, added to the diversity of side effects and the emergence of resistant strains, shows the importance of research focused on the development of new molecules, thus contributing to treatments. Therefore, this work aimed to identify leishmanicidal compounds using a peptide dimerization strategy, as well as to understand their mechanisms of action.

Selective depletion of regulatory T cells enhances the immunogenicity of a recombinant-based vaccine against spp.

Introduction: Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been shown to limit the protective immune response against pathogenic species of the fungus spp, the causal agent of sporotrichosis. However, the specific function of Tregs during vaccination against these fungi is known.

Methods: We evaluated the effect of Tregs depletion on the immunogenicity of an experimental recombinant anti- vaccine, using the DEREG mice.

A Sporothrix spp. enolase derived multi-epitope vaccine confers protective response in BALB/c mice challenged with Sporothrix brasiliensis.

Sporotrichosis is a cosmopolitan mycosis caused by pathogenic species of Sporothrix genus, that in Brazil is often acquired by zoonotic transmission involved infected cats with S. brasiliensis. Previous studies showed that the Sporothrix spp.

Foxp3 Silencing with Antisense Oligonucleotide Improves Immunogenicity of an Adjuvanted Recombinant Vaccine against .

Background: In recent years, there has been great interest in developing molecular adjuvants based on antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) targeting immunosuppressor pathways with inhibitory effects on regulatory T cells (Tregs) to improve immunogenicity and vaccine efficacy. We aim to evaluate the immunostimulating effect of 2'OMe phosphorothioated Foxp3-targeted ASO in an antifungal adjuvanted recombinant vaccine.

Methods: The uptake kinetics of Foxp3 ASO, its cytotoxicity and its ability to deplete Tregs were evaluated in murine splenocytes in vitro.

Transient Foxp3(+) regulatory T-cell depletion enhances protective Th1/Th17 immune response in murine sporotrichosis caused by Sporothrix schenckii.

The role of regulatory T cells (Tregs) on protective immunity in fungal infections, is controversial. Sporotrichosis is an emerging and worldwide-distributed subcutaneous mycosis caused by various related thermodimorphic fungi of the genus Sporothrix. Previously, we showed an elevated percent of Tregs around 21 days post-infection (dpi) in C57BL/6 mice infected with either Sporothrix schenckii or Sporothrix brasiliensis, but the effect of these cells in the ongoing infection was not evaluated.