Objective: We investigated the anti-allergic and analgesic properties of an oil and a derived fraction of tetranortriterpenoids (TNTP) obtained from the seeds of Carapa guianensis Aublet. Materials and methods: Pleurisy, paw and ear edema were induced in Swiss and C57/Bl10 mice mice, whereas thermal hyperalgesia was assessed in Wistar rats (n = 6 -10 per group). Values of p < 0.05 were regarded as significant. Results: C. guianensis oil (100 to 400 mg/kg, p. o.) and TNTP (12.5 to 100 mg/kg, p. o.) inhibited pleural exudation, paw and ear edema induced by ovalbumin (OVA) in sensitized mice. TNTP (12.5 to 100 mg/kg, p. o.) also inhibited paw edema induced by histamine, PAF and bradykinin. TNTP (100 mg/kg, p. o.) inhibited prostaglandin E 2 generation in the pleural cavity in response to antigenic challenge. Moreover, C. guianensis oil (100 to 400 mg/kg) and TNTP (12.5 to 100 mg/kg) decreased OVA-and histamine-induced hyperalgesia. Conclusion: Taken together, these findings demonstrate the anti-edematogenic and analgesic effects of C. guianensis oil, and points out TNTP as the responsible bioactive compounds.

The contribution of T cells in severe malaria pathogenesis has been described. Here, we provide evidence for the potential role of angiotensin II (Ang II) in modulating splenic T cell responses in a rodent model of cerebral malaria. T cell activation induced by infection, determined by 3 to 4-fold enhancement in CD69 expression, was reduced to control levels when mice were treated with 20 mg/kg losartan (IC50 = 0.966 mg/kg/d), an AT1 receptor antagonist, or captopril (IC50 = 1.940 mg/kg/d), an inhibitor of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). Moreover, the production of interferon-γ and interleukin-17 by CD4+ T cells diminished 67% and 70%, respectively, by both treatments. Losartan reduced perforin expression in CD8+ T cells by 33% while captopril completely blocked it. The upregulation in chemokine receptor expression (CCR2 and CCR5) observed during infection was abolished and CD11a expression was partially reduced when mice were treated with drugs. T cells activated by Plasmodium berghei ANKA antigens showed 6-fold enhance in AT1 levels in comparison with naive cells. The upregulation of AT1 expression was reduced by losartan (80%) but not by captopril. Our results suggest that the AT1/Ang II axis has a role in the establishment of an efficient T cell response in the spleen and therefore could participate in a misbalanced parasite-induced T cell immune response during P. berghei ANKA infection.

In the present study, we show that the intra-thoracic injection of ovalbumin (OVA, 12.5 microg per cavity) into C57BL/10 mice induced a significant increase in gammadelta T lymphocyte numbers in the pleural cavity, blood and thoracic lymph node of challenged mice. Such increase was significant within 12 h, peaked within 48 h and returned to basal counts within 120 h. Levels of CC chemokine ligand (CCL)-2/monocyte chemotactic protein-1, CCL5/regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted, CCL3/macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha and CCL25/thymus-expressed chemokine were above control values in pleural washes recovered 24 h after OVA challenge (OPW) and were likely produced by pleural macrophages and mesothelial cells. Antigenic challenge also induced an up-regulation in CC chemokine receptor (CCR)-2, CCR5 and CCR9 on gammadelta T cells from pleural cavities, blood and lymph nodes, suggesting that cells found in mice pleural cavity migrate from secondary lymphoid organs into the inflammatory site via blood stream. The in vitro neutralization of CCL2 (but not of CCL3, CCL5 or CCL25) abrogated OPW-induced gammadelta T lymphocyte transmigration. Confirming such results, the in vivo administration of alpha-CCL2 mAb inhibited gammadelta T lymphocyte accumulation in the pleural cavity of challenged mice, whereas the blockade of CCL3, CCL5 or CCL25 showed no effect on gammadelta T cell mobilization. In addition, OVA challenge failed to induce gammadelta T lymphocyte accumulation in the pleural cavity of C57BL/6 CCR2 knockout mice, which also showed decreased numbers of these cells in blood and lymph nodes when compared with wild-type mice. Overall, such results demonstrate that CCR2/CCL2 pathway is crucial for gammadelta T lymphocyte mobilization during the allergic response.

Herein, we provide evidence that during allergic inflammation, CCL25 induces the selective migration of IL-17 + γδ T cells mediated by α 4 β 7 integrin. Intrapleural injection of CCL25 into ovalbumin (OVA)-immunized C57BL/6 mice triggered the accumulation of γδ T lymphocytes expressing CCR9 (CCL25 receptor) and α 4 β 7 integrin in the pleura, but failed to attract αβ T lymphocytes. CCL25 attracted CCR6 + γδ T cells producing IL-17 (but not IFN-γ or IL-4). OVA challenge triggered increased production of CCL25 followed by the accumulation of CCR9 + , α 4 β 7 + , and CCR6 + /IL-17 + γδ T cells into the pleural cavities of OVA-immunized mice, which was inhibited by the in vivo neutralization of CCL25. The in vivo blockade of α 4 β 7 integrin also inhibited the migration of IL-17 + γδ T lymphocytes (but not of αβ T lymphocytes) into mouse pleura after OVA challenge, suggesting that the CCL25/α 4 β 7 integrin pathway is selective for γδ T cells. In addition, α 4 β 7 integrin blockade impaired the in vitro transmigration of γδ T cells across endothelium (which expresses α 4 β 7 ligands VCAM-1 and MadCAM-1), which was induced by CCL25 and by cell-free pleural washes recovered from OVA-challenged mice. Our results reveal that during an allergic reaction, CCL25 drives IL-17 + γδ T-cell mobilization to inflamed tissue via α 4 β 7 integrin and modulates IL-17 levels. Keywords: Adhesion molecules IntroductionLymphocytes bearing the γδ T-cell receptor (TCR) comprise a minor T-lymphocyte subset in blood and secondary lymphoid tissues and are preferentially localized in epithelial and mucosal tissues [1,2]. This unique subset of lymphocytes can provide rapid tissue-specific immune responses, without the requirement of antiCorrespondence: Dr. Carmen Penido e-mail: cpenido@far.fiocruz.br gen presentation or clonal expansion, and is able to produce a large repertory of Th1-, Th2-, and Th17-associated cytokines [2][3][4][5][6]. These characteristics make γδ T cells a crucial first line of defense during infection, tissue damage, or stress.γδ T cells have been shown to migrate into the airways during allergic inflammation highly controlled by a chemotactic gradient of chemokines produced in tissue [5,[7][8][9][10][11]. We have previously demonstrated that allergen-induced γδ T-cell accumulation is * These authors contributed equally to this work.www.eji-journal.eu Eur. J. Immunol. 2012. 42: 1250-1260 Immunomodulation 1251 paralleled with a marked production of chemokines in the tissue, including CCL25/TECK [11]. CCL25 is mostly described as a homeostatic chemokine that plays a major role in T-cell development in the thymus and in intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) homing into small intestine mucosa [12]. Recent data have provided evidence that CCL25 production increases during inflammatory processes that take place at nonmucosal tissues, such as autoimmune arthritis, atherosclerosis, and allergy [11,13,14]. Moreover, we and others have shown that γδ T lymphocytes migrate in vitro toward CCL25, via its counterpart receptor CCR9 [11,...

A breakdown of the brain-blood barrier (BBB) due to endothelial dysfunction is a primary feature of cerebral malaria (CM). Lipoxins (LX) are specialized pro-resolving mediators that attenuate endothelial dysfunction in different vascular beds. It has already been shown that LXA4 prolonged Plasmodium berghei-infected mice survival by a mechanism that depends on inhibiting IL-12 production and CD8(+)IFN-γ(+) T cells in brain tissue; however, the effects of this treatment on endothelial dysfunction induced during experimental cerebral malaria (ECM) remains to be elucidated. Herein, we investigate the role of LXA4 on endothelial dysfunction during ECM. The treatment of P. berghei-infected mice with LXA4 prevented BBB breakdown and ameliorated behavioral symptoms but did not modulate TNF-α production. In addition, microcirculation analysis showed that treatment with LXA4 significantly increased functional capillary density in brains of P. berghei-infected C57BL/6 mice. Furthermore, histological analyses of brain sections demonstrated that exogenous LXA4 reduced capillary congestion that was accompanied by reduced ICAM-1 expression in the brain tissue. In agreement, LXA4 treatment of endothelial cells stimulated by Plasmodium berghei (Pb)- or Plasmodium falciparum (Pf)-parasitized red blood cells (RBCs) inhibited ICAM-1 expression. Additionally, LXA4 treatment restored the expression of HO-1 that is reduced during ECM. As well, LXA4 treatment inhibits PbRBC and PfRBC adhesion to endothelial cells that was reversed by the use of an HO-1 inhibitor (ZnPPIX). Our results demonstrate for the first time that LXA4 ameliorates endothelial dysfunction during ECM by modulating ICAM-1 and HO-1 expression in brain tissue.