Microorganisms
November 2024
Toxoplasmosis is a neglected disease that represents a significant public health problem. The antigenic profile of is complex, and the immune response can lead to either susceptibility or resistance. Some antigens, such as surface antigen glycoprotein (SAG), are expressed on the surface of tachyzoite stages and interact with the host immune cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPathogens
May 2024
The murine model of experimental cerebral malaria (ECM) induced by ANKA was used to investigate the relationship among pro-inflammatory cytokines, alterations in renal function biomarkers, and the induction of the TRAIL apoptosis pathway during malaria-associated acute kidney injury (AKI). Renal function was evaluated through the measurement of plasma creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). The mRNA expression of several cytokines and NaPi-IIa was quantified.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Pharm Biomed Anal
August 2024
Centella asiatica (L.) Urb. is a small herbaceous plant belonging to the Apiaceae family that is rich in triterpenes, such as asiaticoside and madecassoside.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeospora caninum is a protozoan parasite with worldwide incidence, acting as a major cause of reproductive failures in ruminants and neuromuscular symptoms in dogs. Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) is produced by several cell types and exhibits a central role in immune responses against intracellular pathogens. The present study aimed to comprehend the role of MIF in the relationship between N.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParasitol Res
December 2023
The selection process for advanced therapies in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) must prioritize safety, especially when considering new biologic agents or oral molecule modulators. In C57BL/6 mice, oral infection with Toxoplasma gondii induces intestinal inflammation through excessive tumor necrosis factor (TNF) production, making TNF neutralization a potential therapeutic intervention. Considering this, the present study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effects of BmooMP-α-I, a snake venom metalloprotease isolated from Bothrops moojeni, which could promote TNF hydrolysis, in treating T.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Ethnopharmacol
January 2024
Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Maytenus ilicifolia Mart. ex Reissek, a medicinal plant used for treating gastritis, ulcers, and gastric disorders, possesses therapeutic properties attributed to diverse leaf compounds-terpenoids, alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, and tannins, reflecting the ethnopharmacological knowledge of traditional users.
Aims Of The Study: We aimed to assess the antioxidant and antiglycant capacities of Maytenus ilicifolia's ethanolic extract and organic fractions, identify bioactive compounds through HPLC-MS/MS analysis, and conduct phytochemical assessments.
Congenital toxoplasmosis may cause abortion, neonatal death, or foetal abnormalities. Despite little information from human studies, a genetic influence over congenital disease was demonstrated and, host genome have been implicated to resistance/susceptibility to Toxoplasma gondii infection in both human and mice. It was previously shown that BALB/c mice (H2) were more resistant to congenital toxoplasmosis than C57BL/6 mice (H2).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCCR5 is a chemokine receptor that mediates cell recruitment to sites of inflammation. It has been previously reported that the expression of CCR5 is increased in the placentas of women with malaria, a disease characterized by causing deliveries with low birth weight among other complications. CCR5 has been associated with pathology of protozoan infections during pregnancy but its role during malaria in pregnancy has not been elucidated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Res Microb Sci
November 2022
are fungi that are well-known to inhibit the growth of a variety of plant pathogens. Currently, there is an increasing search for new drugs to treat toxoplasmosis. The aims of this study were to investigate the effect of Ext in the control of proliferation and the course of toxoplasmosis in a mouse model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNotch signaling pathway plays a crucial role in cellular fate across species, being important for the differentiation and development of several cell types. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Notch inhibition pathway by dibenzazepine (DBZ) in histological and inflammatory alterations and, tissue parasitism in acute Toxoplasma gondii infection. For this, C57BL/6 mice were treated with DBZ before infection with T.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Immunol
May 2022
The enzyme heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) has cytoprotective effects by catalyzing the degradation of heme to produce carbon monoxide, iron and biliverdin. Furthermore, HO-1 activity has been associated with successful pregnancy. On the other hand, in the context of certain inflammatory conditions, HO-1 can induce iron overload and cell death.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Immunol
May 2022
infects one-third of the world population. For decades, it has been considered a silent lifelong infection. However, chronically -infected persons may present psychiatric and neurocognitive changes as anxiety, depression, and memory loss.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
November 2021
The Apicomplexa protozoan Toxoplasma gondii is a mandatory intracellular parasite and the causative agent of toxoplasmosis. This illness is of medical importance due to its high prevalence worldwide and may cause neurological alterations in immunocompromised persons. In chronically infected immunocompetent individuals, this parasite forms tissue cysts mainly in the brain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Trop
December 2021
Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite able to infect various cell types, including trophoblast cells. Studies have demonstrated that interleukin (IL)-10, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 and interferon (IFN)-γ are involved in the susceptibility of BeWo trophoblast cells to T. gondii infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
June 2021
Congenital toxoplasmosis is represented by the transplacental passage of Toxoplasma gondii from the mother to the fetus. Our studies demonstrated that T. gondii developed mechanisms to evade of the host immune response, such as cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and prostaglandin E (PGE) induction, and these mediators can be produced/stored in lipid droplets (LDs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Microbiol
April 2021
Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) enzyme exerts beneficial effects at the maternal-fetal interface, especially in trophoblasts, being involved in survival and maturation of these cell phenotypes. Trophoblast cells play essential roles throughout pregnancy, being the gateway for pathogens vertically transmitted, such as . It was previously shown that HO-1 activity was involved in the control of infection ; however, its contribution in trophoblast cells during infection, remain undefined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCytokine
July 2021
Vertical transmission of Toxoplasma gondii leads to adverse pregnancy outcomes depending on the time at which the infection occurs and the immunological state of the mother. C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice have been described as susceptible and resistant mouse lineages to congenital T. gondii infection, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEthnopharmacological Relevance: Sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine are the two drugs used as part of the standard therapy for toxoplasmosis, however; they may cause adverse side effects and fail to prevent relapse in many patients, rendering infected individuals at risk of reactivation upon becoming immunocompromised. Extracts from various parts of Annona muricata have been widely used medicinally for the management, control and/or treatment of several human diseases, acting against parasites that cause diseases in humans.
Aim Of The Study: This study was performed to investigate the action of the ethanolic extract of A.
Iron is an important constituent of our environment, being necessary for both mammalian and pathogenic protozoa survival. Iron-containing proteins exert a wide range of biological processes such as biodegradation and biosynthesis, as well as immune function, fetal development, and physical and mental well-being. This work aimed to investigate the effect of iron deprivation in infection outcome.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Microbiol
March 2020
Phenolic glycolipid I (PGL-I) is an abundant antigen on the cell wall, commonly used for operational classification of leprosy patients. Our aim was to develop PGL-I mimotopes with similar characteristics and functions of the native antigen. We have used a random peptide () library for selections against the monoclonal antibody anti-PGL-I.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Microbiol
February 2019
is able to infect a wide range of vertebrates, including humans. Studies show that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is a modulator of immune response in multiple types of infection, such as . However, the role of COX-2 during infection is still unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParasitol Res
May 2019
Congenital toxoplasmosis is a serious health problem that can lead to miscarriage. HTR-8/SVneo is a first trimester extravillous trophoblast, while BeWo is a choriocarcinoma with properties of villous trophoblast cells. In the placenta, iron is taken up from Fe-transferrin through the transferrin receptor being the ion an important nutrient during pregnancy and also for Toxoplasma gondii proliferation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfection with Strongyloides sp. induces a host immune response, predominantly the Th2 type, that is able to eliminate the parasite. However, little is known about the role of the nitric oxide (NO) mediator, induced by the enzyme nitric oxide synthase (NOS), in strongyloidiasis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMigration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that plays important roles in physiology, pathology, immunology and parasitology, including the control of infection by protozoa parasites such as . As the MIF function in congenital toxoplasmosis is not fully elucidated yet, the present study brings new insights for infection in the absence of MIF based on pregnant C57BL/6MIF mouse models. Pregnant C57BL/6MIF and C57BL/6WT mice were infected with 05 cysts of (ME49 strain) on the first day of pregnancy (dop) and were euthanized at 8 dop.
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