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Immunomodulatory activity of ouabain in Leishmania leishmania amazonensis-infected Swiss mice

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Abstract

Ouabain is a cardiotonic steroid identified as an endogenous substance of human plasma, being produced by the adrenal, pituitary, and hypothalamus. Despite the studies demonstrating the ability of ouabain to modulate inflammation and other aspects of the immune response, the effects of this substance in Leishmaniasis is unknown. The purpose of this work was to understand the immunomodulatory activity of ouabain in experimental Leishmaniasis in Swiss mice. It was demonstrated that ouabain reduced total cell numbers in the peritoneal cavity as a reflex of the inhibition of neutrophil migration induced by Leishmania (L.) Amazonensis. Furthermore, ouabain reduced TNF-α and IFN-γ levels, without cytotoxicity against peritoneal macrophages. These data showed the anti-inflammatory role of ouabain in the early events of the immune response triggered by Leishmania (L.) Amazonensis infection in murine model.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Marcia Regina Piuvezam, Renata Costa Vasconcelos, José Guilherme, Jucélio Linhares, and José Crispim Duarte for their technical support.

Financial support

This work was supported by CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior) and CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Ciências Exatas e da Natureza, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil

    P. L. Jacob, Y. K. S. Rodrigues, F. M. Amorim, M. R. Oliveira & S. Rodrigues-Mascarenhas

  2. Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Produtos Naturais e Sintéticos Bioativos, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil

    J. A. Leite, P. L. N. Néris, M. R. Oliveira & S. Rodrigues-Mascarenhas

  3. Centro de Biotecnologia, Laboratório de Imunofarmacologia, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil

    P. L. Jacob, J. A. Leite, A. K. A. Alves & S. Rodrigues-Mascarenhas

  4. Centro de Ciências Exatas e da Natureza, Departamento de Biologia Celular e Molecular, Laboratório de Leishmanioses, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil

    Y. K. S. Rodrigues, F. M. Amorim, P. L. N. Néris & M. R. Oliveira

  5. Laboratório de Imunofarmacologia, Centro de Biotecnologia—CBiotec, Universidade Federal da Paraíba—UFPB, Campus I, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil, CEP 58051-900

    S. Rodrigues-Mascarenhas

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  1. P. L. Jacob
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  2. J. A. Leite
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  3. A. K. A. Alves
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  4. Y. K. S. Rodrigues
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  5. F. M. Amorim
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  6. P. L. N. Néris
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  7. M. R. Oliveira
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  8. S. Rodrigues-Mascarenhas
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Correspondence to S. Rodrigues-Mascarenhas.

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Jacob, P.L., Leite, J.A., Alves, A.K.A. et al. Immunomodulatory activity of ouabain in Leishmania leishmania amazonensis-infected Swiss mice. Parasitol Res 112, 1313–1321 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-012-3146-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-012-3146-9

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