Evaluation of the dectin-1 participation in antifungal activity and the production of oxygen metabolites in human neutrophils and monocytes challenged with Paracoccidioides brasiliensis

Abstract

Studies have shown that cells of innate immunity, such as neutrophils and monocytes, mediate the initial recognition of microorganisms through the expression of receptors known as Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRRs). The dectin-1 is an example of PRR that recognize ²-glucan, a major component of fungal cell wall. It has been shown that in fungal infections, the fungus binding with dectin-1 induces cytokine production and other responses, which may lead to a variety of protective cellular responses against the fungi. Aiming a better understanding of the cell activation process during the confrontation fungus-phagocyte, will be evaluated the dectin-1 expression by human monocytes and neutrophils, activated with different cytokines and challenged in vitro with different strains of P. brasiliensis, and will also be evaluated the participation of this receptor in fungicidal activity and production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in these same cultures.