Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
2
pubmed:dateCreated
2002-6-26
pubmed:abstractText
CD8+ T lymphocytes are considered an important cell population involved in the control of parasitaemia and mortality after Trypanosoma cruzi infection. However, despite recent developments in this field, the mechanism whereby this control is exerted is still not completely understood. Here we have used perforin knockout (-/-) mice infected with Y strain T. cruzi in order to evaluate specifically the participation of the perforin-based cytotoxic pathway in the destruction of cardiomyocytes, cellular inflammatory infiltration, and control of parasitaemia and mortality. We observed that although parasitaemia was equivalent in perforin (+/+) and (-/-) groups, survival rate and spontaneous physical performance were significantly lower in the perforin deficient mice. The cardiac inflammatory cell infiltration, mostly composed of CD8+ cells, was more evident in perforin (-/-) mice. Ultrastructural and immunofluorescence analysis, as well as plasma creatine kinase activity, revealed cardiomyocyte damage and necrosis, more evident in perforin (-/-) mice. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) assays performed in heart samples revealed similar and modest levels of apoptosis in both perforin (+/+) and (-/-) mice. These results indicate that perforin does not play a pivotal role in the control of parasitaemia and direct lysis of cardiomyocytes, but seems to be an important molecule involved in the control of cardiac inflammation and pathology induced by a highly virulent strain of T. cruzi.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Apr
pubmed:issn
0959-9673
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
83
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
67-79
pubmed:dateRevised
2008-11-21
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2002
pubmed:articleTitle
Evidence for a perforin-mediated mechanism controlling cardiac inflammation in Trypanosoma cruzi infection.
pubmed:affiliation
Laboratório de Biologia Celular - DUBC - Instituto Oswaldo Cruz FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. andreah@ioc.fiocruz.br
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't