Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
5
pubmed:dateCreated
2001-11-6
pubmed:abstractText
The role of cytokines in the control of tissue parasitism and pathogenesis of experimental Chagas' disease was investigated. Wild-type and different cytokine as well as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) knockout mice were infected with the Colombian strain of Trypanosoma cruzi, and the kinetics of tissue parasitism, inflammatory reaction, parasitemia, and mortality were determined. We demonstrate the pivotal role of the interleukin (IL)-12/interferon (IFN)-gamma/iNOS axis and the antagonistic effect of IL-4 in controlling heart tissue parasitism, inflammation, and host resistance to acute infection with T. cruzi. Further, the heart and central nervous system were shown the main sites of reactivation of T. cruzi infection in mice lacking functional genes for IFN-gamma and IL-12, respectively. Our results also show that in contrast to IFN-gamma knockout (KO) mice, splenocytes from IL-12 KO mice infected with T. cruzi produced low levels of IFN-gamma upon stimulation with antigen. Consistently, high levels of anti-T. cruzi IgG2a antibodies were detected in the sera from IL-12 KO, but not from IFN-gamma KO mice, infected with the Colombian strain of T. cruzi. Thus, our results suggest that the level of IFN-gamma deficiency is a major determinant of the site of reactivation of T. cruzi infection in immunocompromised host.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
AIM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Nov
pubmed:issn
0002-9440
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
159
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
1723-33
pubmed:dateRevised
2008-11-21
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed-meshheading:11696433-Animals, pubmed-meshheading:11696433-Central Nervous System, pubmed-meshheading:11696433-Central Nervous System Diseases, pubmed-meshheading:11696433-Chagas Cardiomyopathy, pubmed-meshheading:11696433-Chagas Disease, pubmed-meshheading:11696433-Disease Susceptibility, pubmed-meshheading:11696433-Female, pubmed-meshheading:11696433-Heart, pubmed-meshheading:11696433-Interferon-gamma, pubmed-meshheading:11696433-Interleukin-12, pubmed-meshheading:11696433-Interleukin-4, pubmed-meshheading:11696433-Mice, pubmed-meshheading:11696433-Mice, Inbred BALB C, pubmed-meshheading:11696433-Mice, Inbred C57BL, pubmed-meshheading:11696433-Mice, Knockout, pubmed-meshheading:11696433-Myocarditis, pubmed-meshheading:11696433-Myocardium, pubmed-meshheading:11696433-Nitric Oxide Synthase, pubmed-meshheading:11696433-Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II, pubmed-meshheading:11696433-Recurrence
pubmed:year
2001
pubmed:articleTitle
Pivotal role of interleukin-12 and interferon-gamma axis in controlling tissue parasitism and inflammation in the heart and central nervous system during Trypanosoma cruzi infection.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't