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Published online before print July 3, 2008
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Article |
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From Departamento de Biologia Celular e Molecular e Bioagentes Patogênicos,* Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Departamento de Clínica Médica,
Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Departamento de Biologia,
Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, and Departamento de Enfermagem Geral e Especializada,
Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
@ To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mcrbarre{at}fmrp.usp.br.
| Abstract |
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KM+ is a mannose-binding lectin from Artocarpus integrifolia that induces interleukin (IL)-12 production by macrophages and protective T helper 1 immune response against Leishmania major infection. In this study, we performed experiments to evaluate the therapeutic activity of jackfruit KM+ (jfKM+) and its recombinant counterpart (rKM+) in experimental paracoccidioidomycosis. To this end, jfKM+ or rKM+ was administered to BALB/c mice 10 days after infection with Paracoccidiodes brasiliensis. Thirty days postinfection, lungs from the KM+-treated mice contained significantly fewer colony-forming units and little to no organized granulomas compared to the controls. In addition, lung homogenates from the KM+-treated mice presented higher levels of nitric oxide, IL-12, interferon-
, and tumor necrosis factor-
, whereas higher levels of IL-4 and IL-10 were detected in the control group. With mice deficient in IL-12, Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2, TLR4, or TLR adaptor molecule MyD88, we demonstrated that KM+ led to protection against P. brasiliensis infection through IL-12 production, which was dependent on TLR2. These results demonstrated a beneficial effect of KM+ on the severity of P. brasiliensis infection and may expand its potential use as a novel immunotherapeutic molecule.
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