Inhibition of Nitric Oxide Production of Activated Mice Peritoneal Macrophages is Independent of the Toxoplasma Gondii Strain

Overview

Journal Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz

Specialties Parasitology
Tropical Medicine

Date 2021 Mar 17

PMID 33729328

Citations 3

Authors

Joao Claudio Damasceno-Sa

Fernanda Silva de Souza

Thiago Alves Teixeira Dos Santos

Fabio Conceicao de Oliveira

Maria de Fatima Sarro da Silva

Raul Ramos Furtado Dias

Wanderley De Souza

Andrea Cristina Veto Arnholdt

Sergio Henrique Seabra

Renato Augusto DaMatta

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Toxoplasma gondii causes toxoplasmosis and is controlled by activated macrophages. However, infection of macrophages by tachyzoites induces TGF-β signaling (TGF-s) inhibiting nitric oxide (NO) production. NO inhibition may be a general escape mechanism of distinct T. gondii strains.

Objectives: To evaluate in activated macrophages the capacity of T. gondii strains of different virulence and genetics (RH, type I; ME-49, type II; VEG, type III; P-Br, recombinant) to evade the NO microbicidal defense system and determine LC3 loading to the parasitophorous vacuole.

Methods: Activated peritoneal macrophages were infected with the different T. gondii strains, NO-production was evaluated by the Griess reagent, and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression, TGF-s, and LC3 localisation assayed by immunofluorescence.

Findings: Only RH persisted in macrophages, while VEG was more resistant than P-Br and ME-49. All strains induced TGF-s, degradation of inducible nitric oxide synthase, and NO-production inhibition from 2 to 24 h of infection, but only RH sustained these alterations for 48 h. By 24 h of infection, TGF-s lowered in macrophages infected by ME-49, and P-Br, and NO-production recovered, while VEG sustained TGF-s and NO-production inhibition longer. LC3 loading to parasitophorous vacuole was strain-dependent: higher for ME-49, P-Br and VEG, lower for RH. All strains inhibited NO-production, but only RH sustained this effect probably because it persisted in macrophages due to additional evasive mechanisms as lower LC3 loading to parasitophorous vacuole.

Main Conclusions: These results support that T. gondii can escape the NO microbicidal defense system at the initial phase of the infection, but only the virulent strain sustain this evasion mechanism.

Citing Articles

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