The present study aimed to examine the immunomodulatory properties of the methanolic (MeOH) extract from Pouteria. campechiana leaves in peritoneal macrophages of Balb/c mice. Peritoneal macrophages isolated from mice and Vero cells were treated with the MeOH extract from leaves. Cell viability of the macrophages and Vero cells were evaluated by the 3-(4,5dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide method. The phagocytic activity, as nitric oxide (NO), hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α) production were evaluated on peritoneal macrophages. Results showed that the MeOH extract from leaves was able to stimulate the phagocytic activity and increase NO, H 2 O 2 and cytokines production. The viability assays do not show cytotoxic effect on cell viability and cause a significative proliferative effect in the macrophages of a concentration-dependent manner. These results conclude that the MeOH extract from P. campechiana leaves possessed a stronger immunostimulatory effect in a concentration-dependent manner without affect the cell viability.

A bs t r ac tBackground: The aim of this work was to evaluate the immunomodulatory effect of the methanol extract (MeOH) from Chrysophyllum cainito leaves on the MΦs functions. Material and Methods: Peritoneal murine MΦs isolated from Balb/c mice were treated with the MeOH extract and stimulated with LPS. The effect on the phagocytosis was evaluated by flow cytometry assay. The nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) production was measured by the Griess reagent and phenol red reaction, respectively. Levels of IL-6 and TNF-was measured using an ELISA kit. Viability of MΦs and Vero cells was determined by the MTT method. Results: The MeOH extract of C. cainito leaves inhibited significantly the phagocytosis, and decreased IL-6 and

Trace elements such as Zinc and Iron are essential components of metalloproteins and serve as cofactors or structural elements for enzymes involved in several important biological processes in almost all organisms. Because either excess or insufficient levels of Zn and Fe can be harmful for the cells, the homeostatic levels of these trace minerals must be tightly regulated. The Zinc regulated transporter, Iron regulated transporter-like Proteins (ZIP) comprise a diverse family, with several paralogues in diverse organisms and are considered essential for the Zn and Fe uptake and homeostasis. Zn and Fe has been shown to regulate expression of proteins involved in metabolism and pathogenicity mechanisms in the protozoan pathogen Trichomonas vaginalis, in contrast high concentrations of these elements were also found to be toxic for T. vaginalis trophozoites. Nevertheless, Zn and Fe uptake and homeostasis mechanisms is not yet clear in this parasite. We performed a genome-wide analysis and localized the 8 members of the ZIP gene family in T. vaginalis (TvZIP1-8). The bioinformatic programs predicted that the TvZIP proteins are highly conserved and show similar properties to the reported in other ZIP orthologues. The expression patterns of TvZIP1, 3, 5 and 7 were diminished in presence of Zinc, while the rest of the TvZIP genes showed an unchanged profile in this condition. In addition, TvZIP2 and TvZIP4 showed a differential expression pattern in trophozoites growth under different Iron conditions. These results suggest that TvZIP genes encode membrane transporters that may be responsible for the Zn and Fe acquisition in T. vaginalis.

No abstract

No abstract