Study of the effects of extracellular vesicles released by Leishmania amazonensis promastigotes on macrophages response and disease progression

Abstract

Leishmania spp is the etiological agent of leishmaniasis a group of diseases with a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms ranging from cutaneous to visceral leishmaniasis. The disease is initiated by the interaction between the parasite molecules and receptors expressed in the host cell surface. In mammalian hosts, the parasite is able to infect and proliferate within phagocytic cells, especially macrophages. The parasite-host interaction is not fully understood and has recently been shown that extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by some species of Leishmania appear to contribute to the establishment of infection and immunomodulation. EVs secreted by parasites and micro-organisms appear to contribute to the pathogenesis of infectious diseases, but the mechanisms involved in this process have not been completely understood. Moreover, studies have not been performed to verify the role of EVs produced by L. amazonensis (specie responsible for cutaneous leishmaniasis in Brazil) in the activation and/or modulation of phagocytic cells of the immune system and disease progression. This project aim to evaluate the influence of EVs released by L. amazonensis promastigotes on immune response. This project can contribute to a better understanding of the host-parasite relationship and modulation/activation of the immune system in L. amazonensis infection. These results can be further used in the identification of new molecular targets as well as the development of alternative therapeutic and diagnostic strategies. (AU)