Neutrophil Activation: Influence of Antimony Tolerant and Susceptible Clinical Strains of L. (V.) panamensis and Meglumine Antimoniate

Emerging evidence indicates that innate host response contributes to the therapeutic effect of antimicrobial medications. Recent studies have shown that Leishmania parasites derived by in vitro selection for resistance to pentavalent antimony (SbV) as meglumine antimoniate (MA) modulate the activation of neutrophils. However, whether modulation of neutrophil activation extends to natural resistance to this antileishmanial drug has not been established. We have evaluated the influence of clinical strains of L. (V.) panamensis having intrinsic tolerance/resistance to SbV, on the inflammatory response of neutrophils during ex vivo exposure to MA. Accordingly, neutrophils obtained from healthy donors were infected with clinical strains that are sensitive (n = 10) or intrinsically tolerant/resistant to SbV (n = 10) and exposed to a concentration approximating the maximal plasma concentration (Cmax) of SbV (32 µg/ml). The activation profile of neutrophils was evaluated as the expression of the surface membrane markers CD66b, CD18, and CD62L by flow cytometry, measurement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by luminometry, and NET formation using Picogreen to measure dsDNA release and quantification of NETs by confocal microscopy. These parameters of activation were analyzed in relation with parasite susceptibility to SbV and exposure to MA. Here, we show that clinical strains presenting intrinsic tolerance/resistance to SbV induced significantly lower ROS production compared to drug-...
Source: Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology - Category: Microbiology Source Type: research