A type 1 cytokine-dependent proinflammatory response inducing classically activated macrophages (CaMϕs) is crucial for parasite control during protozoan infections but can also contribute to the development of immunopathological disease symptoms. Type 2 cytokines such as IL-4 and IL-13 antagonize CaMϕs inducing alternatively activated macrophages (AaMϕs) that upregulate arginase-1 expression. During several infections, induction of arginase-1-macrophages was showed to have a detrimental role by limiting CaMϕ-dependent parasite clearance and promoting parasite proliferation. Additionally, the role of arginase-1 in T cell suppression has been explored recently. Arginase-1 can also be induced by IL-10 and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) or even directly by parasites or parasite components. Therefore, generation of alternative activation states of macrophages could limit collateral tissue damage because of excessive type 1 inflammation. However, they affect disease outcome by promoting parasite survival and proliferation. Thus, modulation of macrophage activation may be instrumental in allowing parasite persistence and long-term host survival.

The macrophage mannose receptor (MR) is a pattern recognition receptor of the innate immune system that binds to microbial structures bearing mannose, fucose and N-acetylglucosamine on their surface. Trypanosoma cruzi antigen cruzipain (Cz) is found in the different developmental forms of the parasite. This glycoprotein has a highly mannosylated C-terminal domain that participates in the host-antigen contact. Our group previously demonstrated that Cz-macrophage (Mo) interaction could modulate the immune response against T. cruzi through the induction of a preferential metabolic pathway. In this work, we have studied in Mo the role of MR in arginase induction and in T. cruzi survival using different MR ligands. We have showed that pre-incubation of T. cruzi infected cells with mannose-Bovine Serum Albumin (Man-BSA, MR specific ligand) biased nitric oxide (NO)/urea balance towards urea production and increased intracellular amastigotes growth. The study of intracellular signals showed that pre-incubation with Man-BSA in T. cruzi J774 infected cells induced down-regulation of JNK and p44/p42 phosphorylation and increased of p38 MAPK phosphorylation. These results are coincident with previous data showing that Cz also modifies the MAPK phosphorylation profile induced by the parasite. In addition, we have showed by confocal microscopy that Cz and Man-BSA enhance MR recycling. Furthermore, we studied MR behavior during T. cruzi infection in vivo. MR was up-regulated in F4/80+ cells from T. cruzi infected mice at 13 and 15 days post infection. Besides, we investigated the effect of MR blocking antibody in T. cruzi infected peritoneal Mo. Arginase activity and parasite growth were decreased in infected cells pre-incubated with anti-MR antibody as compared with infected cells treated with control antibody. Therefore, we postulate that during T. cruzi infection, Cz may contact with MR, increasing MR recycling which leads to arginase activity up-regulation and intracellular parasite growth.

Summary The programmed death ligands 1 (PD‐L1) and 2 (PD‐L2) that bind to programmed death 1 (PD‐1) have been involved in peripheral tolerance and in the immune escape mechanisms during chronic viral infections and cancer. However, there are no reports about the role of these molecules during Trypanosoma cruzi infection. We have studied the role of PD‐L1 and PD‐L2 in T. cruzi infection and their importance in arginase/inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) balance in the immunomodulatory properties of macrophages (Mφ). In this work, we have demonstrated that expression of the PD‐1/PD‐L pathway is modified during T. cruzi infection on Mφs obtained from peritoneal cavity. The Mφs from T. cruzi‐infected mice suppressed T‐cell proliferation and this was restored when anti‐PD‐1 and anti‐PD‐L1 antibodies were added. Nevertheless, anti‐PD‐L2 antibody treatment did not re‐establish T‐cell proliferation. PD‐L2 blockade on peritoneal cells from infected mice showed an increase in arginase expression and activity and a decrease in iNOS expression and in nitric oxide (NO) production. Additionally, interleukin‐10 production increased whereas interferon‐γ production was reduced. As a result, this microenvironment enhanced parasite proliferation. In contrast, PD‐1 and PD‐L1 blockage increased iNOS expression and NO production on peritoneal Mφs from T. cruzi‐infected mice. Besides, PD‐L2 knockout infected mice showed an increased in parasitaemia as well as in arginase activity, and a reduction in NO production. Taken together, our results demonstrate that PD‐L2 is involved in the arginase/iNOS balance during T. cruzi infection having a protective role in the immune response against the parasite.

No abstract

Changes in the cardiac beta-adrenergic system in early stages of Trypanosoma cruzi infection have been described. Here, we studied an early (135 days post-infection-p.i.) and a late stage (365 days p.i.) of the cardiac chronic form of the experimental infection (Tulahuen or SGO-Z12 strains), determining plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine levels, beta-receptor density, affinity and function, cardiac cAMP concentration and phosphodiesterase activity, cardiac contractility, and the presence of beta-receptor autoantibodies. Tulahuen-infected mice presented lower epinephrine and norepinephrine levels; lower beta-receptor affinity and density; a diminished norepinephrine response and higher cAMP levels in the early stage, and a basal contractility similar to non-infected controls in the early and augmented in the late stage. The Tulahuen strain induced autoantibodies with weak beta-receptor interaction. SGO-Z12-infected mice presented lower norepinephrine levels and epinephrine levels that diminished with the evolution of the infection; lower beta-receptor affinity and an increased density; unchanged epinephrine and norepinephrine response in the early and a diminished response in the late stage; higher cAMP levels and unchanged basal contractility. The SGO-Z12 isolate induced beta-receptor autoantibodies with strong interaction with the beta-receptors. None of the antibodies, however, acted a as beta-receptor agonist. The present results demonstrate that this system is seriously compromised in the cardiac chronic stage of T. cruzi infection.