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Query: UMLS:C0024530 (malaria)
 44,886 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

V gamma 9+ T cells from malaria non-exposed donors make proliferative responses to Plasmodium falciparum on in vitro stimulation. V gamma 9+ cells are strongly activated by components of the schizont stage of the parasite and by antigens released into the culture upon schizogony, while CD4+V gamma 9- cells are stimulated by the earlier stages of the parasite. Using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) we determined mRNA expression for 14 cytokines in highly purified V gamma 9+ cells enriched by positive selection after in vitro stimulation with P. falciparum schizont antigens. Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were detected in all samples tested. The majority of samples also expressed TNF-beta, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and Interleukin-8 (IL-8). Only occasional samples expressed IL-2, IL-5 and IL-10. Using the ELISPOT assay we found that a large fraction of the reactive V gamma 9+ cells produced IFN-gamma and that gamma delta T cells are the major producers of IFN-gamma in cultures stimulated with schizont antigens. The majority of V gamma 9+ cells in these cultures also express the membrane-bound form of TNF-alpha. Expression of these cytokines speaks for a cytolytic and/or inflammatory role of gamma delta cells in the response to malaria in non-exposed individuals.
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PMID:Cytokine profiles for human V gamma 9+ T cells stimulated by Plasmodium falciparum. 750 22

In vivo interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-10, and interferon (IFN)-gamma production was measured at the mRNA transcript and protein levels in patients acutely infected with Plasmodium falciparum and during convalescence. Both IL-10 and IFN-gamma but not IL-2 were produced regardless of the patients' clinical severity. IL-4 production was variable. Circulating IFN-gamma and IL-10 were significantly higher in patients with severe disease (P < .01 and .001, respectively). In vitro stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) by malarial antigens during acute infection showed that although there was no lymphoproliferation, the cells could produce IL-10 and IFN-gamma. Recombinant human IL-10 completely abolished in vitro tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha production in response to malarial antigens, as well as the antigen-specific proliferative response of convalescent patients. However, anti-IL-10 was insufficient to restore proliferation of PBMC from acutely infected patients. These findings suggest that IL-10 may have an important negative feedback action on the production of inflammatory cytokines in acute falciparum malaria without contributing to the defect in antigen-specific proliferation.
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PMID:Interleukin-10 inhibits tumor necrosis factor production but not antigen-specific lymphoproliferation in acute Plasmodium falciparum malaria. 765 79

Both antibody-dependent and antibody-independent mechanisms are involved in immune protection against the asexual blood stages of the malaria parasite. It is well established that T cells play a crucial role in both induction and maintenance of this immunity. Of the two T-cell subsets (CD4+, CD8+) carrying alpha/beta T-cell receptors, the CD4+ T cells are of major importance for the development of blood stage immunity in both experimental and human malaria. In mice, CD4+ T cells comprise at least two functionally distinct cell types (TH1, TH2), distinguished on the basis of their lymphokine production. The balance between these subsets is critical for the outcome of an infection. In some rodent malarias, TH1 cells producing IFN-gamma and IL-2 are important for controlling infection in its early phases, while TH2 cells, producing i.a. IL-4 and IL-10, together with antibodies, are important for parasite clearance in later phases of infection. Distinct CD4+ T cells of either TH1 or TH2 type also have regulatory functions in human P. falciparum infection. In contrast to the CD4+ T cells, the role of CD8+ T cells in blood stage infection appears to be limited, but suppression of some CD4+ activities has been reported for both experimental and human malaria. As in other infections, peripheral T cells equipped with gamma/delta receptors are strongly upregulated in malaria and also respond to parasite antigens in vitro by proliferation and lymphokine production. However, the importance of the gamma/delta T cells for protection when compared with pathogenesis is presently unclear. Rapid advances made in recent years in the characterization and cloning of plasmodial antigens eliciting immune protection have made it possible to define some of the antigenic structures involved in T-cell immunity. This, together with an improved understanding of cellular mechanisms, provides some basis for the development of modern malaria vaccines.
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PMID:T-cell control of immunity to the asexual blood stages of the malaria parasite. 770 48

Acute Plasmodium yoelii murine malaria is associated with a marked depression of splenic T cell responses. The present study was undertaken to address the question if a defect in T cell proliferation results from a relative increase of a non-T cell population in the spleen or real biological changes occurring in T cells of the spleen after infection. When animals were acutely infected, the splenic cells responded poorly to cross-linked anti-CD3 mAb, Con A, and PWM stimulation. At this stage, a very limited array of cytokine was expressed. We failed to detect the transcripts for IL-2R p55, IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, and IFN-gamma in mice with acute P. yoelii malaria irrespective of the number of splenocytes subjected to RT-PCR. In contrast, late in the infection when mice cleared the parasites and became resistant to reinfection, mRNAs for the above cytokines as well as for IL-4, IL-5, GM-CSF, and TNF-alpha were detectable. During this late phase of infection, lymphocytes proliferated vigorously in response to TCR- and T cell mitogen-mediated stimulation. Surprisingly, during an early phase (as early as 3 days postinfection) with low parasitemia, before the establishment of T cell unresponsiveness, a broad array of cytokine expression including IL-2 and IFN-gamma expression as well as marked lymphoproliferative response upon T cell mitogen- and TCR-mediated stimulation was observed. When the expression of cytokine gene in freshly isolated (ex vivo) splenocytes from P. yoelii-infected animals was investigated, a similar pattern of cytokine profile was detected. We devised a methodology in which RNA from an increasing number of splenocytes (ranging from 1 to 16 million) was used to compensate for any difference in the frequency of splenic T cells between immune and acutely infected mice and to augment target molecules which could be measured simultaneously by PCR. The data presented in this study led us to speculate that "anergy" or relative increase of a non-T cell population cannot account solely for the T cell unresponsiveness in the acute phase of infection. We suggest that inactivation or/and ablation of reactive T cells may explain T cell hyporesponsiveness during acute malaria.
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PMID:Plasmodium yoelii in mice: differential induction of cytokine gene expression during hyporesponsiveness induction and restimulation. 784 88

The design of vaccine strategies in general, and those for malaria in particular, need to take into account the balance of T helper subsets (TH) they induce. The TH1 cells, which secrete interferon-gamma and interleukin-2 (IL-2), are associated with cell-mediated immunity (CMI), rather than humoral responses, and afford protection against intracellular infections, including those caused by parasites. In contrast, the TH2 cells secrete IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10, elicit high titer antibody responses, provide poor CMI, and are often correlated with susceptibility to infection. Depending on the type of TH cell bias required, it is possible to manipulate the immune response to a protein/peptide by 1) using different adjuvants, 2) conjugating the protein to various carriers, 3) immunizing in the presence of cytokines, or 4) using alternative routes of administration. To apply these approaches to malarial vaccines, it is necessary to identify which stage(s) of the parasite to target and what type of TH cell bias is protective against that particular stage. We favor using carriers such as Brucella abortus, which focus the antigen on a specific particle and which can trigger a TH1 cell response.
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PMID:The potential for recruiting immune responses toward type 1 or type 2 T cell help. 817 30

IL-10 is a monocyte/lymphocyte derived cytokine which has been shown to inhibit certain cellular immune responses such as delayed hypersensitivity. In particular, the production of tumour necrosis factor (TNF), IL-1 and IL-6, which are involved in malaria pathology, are strongly inhibited by IL-10. Accordingly, we examined whether IL-10 could be involved in a human acute parasitic infection such as Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Human IL-10 levels in plasma were determined by two-site ELISA method, taking care to avoid non-specific reactions due to autoantibodies. Fourteen cerebral, 11 severe, and 20 mild malaria cases had mean IL-10 levels of 2812, 2882 and 913 pg/ml, respectively, while 98% of healthy individuals had undetectable (less than 100 pg/ml) circulating IL-10. Thirteen of the 25 cerebral/severe cases had > 2000 pg/ml. In 11 hospitalized patients, circulating IL-10 levels were found to return to virtually normal levels 7 days after antimalarial chemotherapy when biological and clinical malaria features had disappeared (mean levels fell from 3880 to 333 pg/ml). Further studies are required to determine whether these elevated levels of IL-10 play a beneficial role by reducing the parasite-induced inflammatory response, or a detrimental one by decreasing the cellular immune responses.
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PMID:High levels of circulating IL-10 in human malaria. 830 5

The scientific interest in the physical interaction of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes with host cells stems from the suggestion that excessive binding in the microvasculature leads to severe malaria. The authors studied, therefore, two parasites for their ability to adhere to normal human cells and to induce cytokine production, one parasite lacking a binding capacity (DD2) and one which adhered to CD36+ transfected CHO cells (MCAMP). The MCAMP parasites readily bound to platelets and erythrocytes and to monocytes, polymorphonuclear granulocytes and EBV-transformed B cells as seen by light and electron microscopy. Platelets were frequently attached in large numbers to the infected erythrocyte surface and groups of infected erythrocytes were sometimes held together by several platelets. Nine out of 17 cytokines tested were found to be secreted into the culture supernatants after 35 h of co-cultures containing monocytes or unfractionated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and parasites (IL-1RA, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TGF beta, TNF alpha, G-CSF, IL-1-beta, and GM-CSF). Three additional cytokines were also present in low levels (< 200 pg/ml, IL-2, IL-4, IFN gamma) in the culture supernatants after incubation of the cells for 4 days. TNF alpha, IL-RA, and IL-8 were secreted from polymorphonuclear granulocytes, LGLs and T cells. Platelets and, to a lesser degree, monocytes and T cells secreted large amounts of TGF beta (10-30 ng/ml). Cytokines may participate in the pathogenesis but also the suppression of immune responses seen during acute malarial infections.
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PMID:Adhesion of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes to human cells and secretion of cytokines (IL-1-beta, IL-1RA, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TGF beta, TNF alpha, G-CSF, GM-CSF. 855 86

A proportion of children with Plasmodium falciparum infection have a high parasitaemia without accompanying fever, indicative of different clinical thresholds of parasitaemia. Higher levels of IL-10, IL-1Ra and sIL-4R but not sIL-2R were found in children with P. falciparum malaria, compared with levels in children with asymptomatic P. falciparum infections and in healthy children. Concentrations of IL-10 and IL-1Ra were correlated with levels of parasitaemia, but the association of cytokine levels with disease was independent of the association with parasitaemia. Children may tolerate a high parasitaemia by neutralizing the parasite-derived toxins. When studying potential anti-toxic molecules we found that children with symptomatic infections had lower concentrations of a phospholipid-binding molecule, beta 2-glycoprotein I (beta 2-GPI), compared with children with asymptomatic infections or healthy children. In conclusion, cytokines were found in much higher concentrations in children with symptomatic P. falciparum malaria than in children with asymptomatic infections, whilst the former had lower concentrations of beta 2-GPI.
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PMID:Soluble products of inflammatory reactions are not induced in children with asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum infections. 869 38

We determined the requirement for selected lymphocyte subsets and cytokines in the pathogenesis of experimental murine cerebral malaria (CM) by using gene-targeted knockout and mAb-suppressed mice. Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection induced CM in A 0/0 mice, which lack expression of surface MHC class II glycoproteins and consequently express a severe and chronic reduction in numbers of CD4+ T cells. However, when A 0/0 mice, which are on a C57BL/6 x 129 genetic background, or immune-intact C57BL/6 controls treated with anti-CD4 mAb were infected, none developed CM. The latter finding confirms an earlier report that CD4+ T cells are required for CM to occur and additionally indicates that the reduced numbers of CD4+ T cells present in A 0/0 mice are sufficient for CM development. Neither the recently described CD4+, NK1.1+ T cell subset shown to be present in A 0/0 mice nor traditional NK cells seem to be required for the induction of CM because A 0/0 and C57BL/6 mice severely depleted of both NK1.1+ populations with mAb developed CM as readily as did normal Ig-treated controls. Deficiency of Th1-associated cytokines (IFN-gamma or IL-2) in mice by gene-targeted disruptions completely inhibited CM development, whereas the lack of Th2-associated cytokines (IL-4 or IL-10) did not prevent this disease. Our observation that B cell-deficient JHD and microMT mice developed CM provides evidence that neither B cells, their products, nor B cell Ag presentation are a requisite for CM pathology. We further observed that neither beta 2m 0/0 knockout mice, which lack CD8+ alpha beta T cells, nor C57BL/6 mice depleted of CD8+ T cells with anti-CD8 mAb treatment developed CM, leading us to conclude that CD8+ T cells are also crucial for the development of CM.
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PMID:Participation of lymphocyte subpopulations in the pathogenesis of experimental murine cerebral malaria. 875 47

Nitric oxide (NO)-related activity has been shown to be protective against Plasmodium falciparum in vitro. It has been hypothesized, however, that excess NO production contributes to the pathogenesis of cerebral malaria. The purpose of this study was to compare markers of NO production [urinary and plasma nitrate + nitrite (NOx)], leukocyte-inducible nitric oxide synthase type 2 (NOS2), and plasma TNF-alpha and IL-10 levels with disease severity in 191 Tanzanian children with and without malaria. Urine NOx excretion and plasma NOx levels (corrected for renal impairment) were inversely related to disease severity, with levels highest in subclinical infection and lowest in fatal cerebral malaria. Results could not be explained by differences in dietary nitrate ingestion among the groups. Plasma levels of IL-10, a cytokine known to suppress NO synthesis, increased with disease severity. Leukocyte NOS2 antigen was detectable in all control children tested and in all those with subclinical infection, but was undetectable in all but one subject with cerebral malaria. This suppression of NO synthesis in cerebral malaria may contribute to pathogenesis. In contrast, high fasting NOx levels and leukocyte NOS2 in healthy controls and asymptomatic infection suggest that increased NO synthesis might protect against clinical disease. NO appears to have a protective rather than pathological role in African children with malaria.
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PMID:Nitric oxide in Tanzanian children with malaria: inverse relationship between malaria severity and nitric oxide production/nitric oxide synthase type 2 expression. 876 Aug 9


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