Antimicrobial activity of NK cells to Trypanosoma cruzi infected human primary Keratinocytes.

Infection with the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi is causative for Chagas disease, which is a highly neglected tropical disease prevalent in Latin America. Humans are primary infected through vectorial transmission by blood-sucking triatomine bugs. The parasite enters the human host through mucous membranes or small skin lesions.

Testosterone affects type I/type II interferon response of neutrophils during hepatic amebiasis.

Differences in immune response between men and women may influence the outcome of infectious diseases. Intestinal infection with Entamoeba histolytica leads to hepatic amebiasis, which is more common in males. Previously, we reported that innate immune cells contribute to liver damage in males in the murine model for hepatic amebiasis.

HIF-1α modulates sex-specific Th17/Treg responses during hepatic amoebiasis.

Background & Aims: An invasive form of intestinal Entamoeba (E.) histolytica infection, which causes amoebic liver abscess, is more common in men than in women. Immunopathological mechanisms are responsible for the more severe outcome in males.

High Content Analysis of Macrophage-Targeting PIb-Compounds against Cutaneous and Visceral Species.

An immunostimulatory glycolipid molecule from the intestinal protozoan parasite () and its synthetic analogs derived from its phosphatidylinositol-b-anchor (PIb) previously showed considerable immunotherapeutic effects against infection in vitro and in vivo. Here, we describe a high content screening assay, based on primary murine macrophages. Parasites detection is based on a 90 kDA heat shock protein-specific staining, enabling the detection of several species.

An Alcohol Dehydrogenase 3 (ADH3) from Is Involved in the Detoxification of Toxic Aldehydes.

Recently, a putative alcohol dehydrogenase 3, termed EhADH3B of the isolate HM-1:IMSS was identified, which is expressed at higher levels in non-pathogenic than in pathogenic amoebae and whose overexpression reduces the virulence of pathogenic amoebae. In an analysis performed in this study, we assigned EhADH3B to a four-member ADH3 family, with present as a duplicate (/). In long-term laboratory cultures a mutation was identified at position 496 of , which codes for a stop codon, which was not the case for amoebae isolated from human stool samples.

Androgens predispose males to monocyte-mediated immunopathology by inducing the expression of leukocyte recruitment factor CXCL1.

Hepatic amebiasis, predominantly occurring in men, is a focal destruction of the liver due to the invading protozoan Entamoeba histolytica. Classical monocytes as well as testosterone are identified to have important functions for the development of hepatic amebiasis in mice, but a link between testosterone and monocytes has not been identified. Here we show that testosterone treatment induces proinflammatory responses in human and mouse classical monocytes.

Antileishmanial Effects of Synthetic PIb Analogs Derived from the Entamoeba histolytica Lipopeptidephosphoglycan.

With an estimated number of new cases annually of approximately 1.4 million, leishmaniasis belongs to the most important parasitic diseases in the world. Nevertheless, existing drugs against leishmaniasis in general have several drawbacks that urgently necessitate new drug development.

Trigger-induced RNAi gene silencing to identify pathogenicity factors of Entamoeba histolytica.

Recently, Entamoeba histolytica clones derived from isolate HM-1:IMSS that differ in their pathogenicity were identified. Whereas some clones induce amoebic liver abscesses (ALAs) in animal models of amoebiasis, others provoke only minimal liver lesions. Based on transcriptome studies of pathogenic and nonpathogenic clones, differentially expressed genes associated with reduced or increased liver pathology can be identified.

Overexpression of Differentially Expressed Genes Identified in Non-pathogenic and Pathogenic Entamoeba histolytica Clones Allow Identification of New Pathogenicity Factors Involved in Amoebic Liver Abscess Formation.

We here compared pathogenic (p) and non-pathogenic (np) isolates of Entamoeba histolytica to identify molecules involved in the ability of this parasite to induce amoebic liver abscess (ALA)-like lesions in two rodent models for the disease. We performed a comprehensive analysis of 12 clones (A1-A12) derived from a non-pathogenic isolate HM-1:IMSS-A and 12 clones (B1-B12) derived from a pathogenic isolate HM-1:IMSS-B. "Non-pathogenicity" included the induction of small and quickly resolved lesions while "pathogenicity" comprised larger abscess development that overstayed day 7 post infection.

The cytokine profile of human NKT cells and PBMCs is dependent on donor sex and stimulus.

Sex-related variations in natural killer T (NKT) cells may influence immunoregulation and outcome of infectious and autoimmune diseases. We analyzed sex-specific differences in peripheral blood NKTs and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from men and women and determined the frequencies of NKT cells and their subpopulations [CD4(+); CD8(+); double negative (DN)] and the levels of cytokine production following stimulation with the NKT cell ligands α-Galactosylceramide (αGalCer) and Entamoeba histolytica lipopeptidephosphoglycan (Lotter et al. in PLoS Pathog 5(5):e1000434, 2009).

IL-23 prevents IL-13-dependent tissue repair associated with Ly6C(lo) monocytes in Entamoeba histolytica-induced liver damage.

Background & Aims: The IL-23/IL-17 axis plays an important role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases and the pathological consequences of infection. We previously showed that immunopathologic mechanisms mediated by inflammatory monocytes underlie the severe focal liver damage induced by the protozoan parasite, Entamoeba histolytica. Here, we analyze the contribution of the IL-23/IL-17 axis to the induction and subsequent recovery from parasite-induced liver damage.

Magnetic resonance imaging of pathogenic protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica labeled with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to establish a noninvasive tracking of the pathogenic parasite Entamoeba histolytica (Eh) after superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) labeling by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on a single-cell level in vitro and in vivo in a mouse model for amebic liver abscess (ALA).

Materials And Methods: Local institutional review committee on animal care approved all animal experiments. Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites were labeled with SPIO nanoparticles (SPIO-Eh).