ABSTRACT
Background
Macrophages play an important role in the inflammatory response towards pathogens and their effector functions depend on the mode of activation which is mediated by recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns, as peptides. Trichomonas vaginalis provokes an inflammatory response in the host in which macrophages are the first line of defense. This study aimed to analyze the effect of a specific peptide derived from the transporter TvZIP8 of T. vaginalis on the activation of macrophages.
Methods
An in silico approach based on computational prediction of epitopes was applied to detect potential murine MHC class II-restricted peptides from TvZIP8 that can activate macrophages and the immunomodulatory activity was evaluated by in vitro stimulation of murine macrophages.
Results
Based on binding scores, one peptide denominated TvZIP8-pep was selected for further analysis. In vitro stimulation with synthetic TvZIP8-pep triggered on murine macrophages the NO and H2O2 production and an overexpression of iNOS and NOX-2 genes. Also, a significant increase of pro-inflammatory cytokines: IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, as well as, overexpression of the TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB genes and NF-κB activation were observed on macrophages after stimulation with TvZIP8-pep in vitro. Moreover, higher levels of IFN-γ were detected in co-cultures using CD4 + T cells with TvZIP8-pep-stimulated macrophages
Conclusion
These results support the potential of TvZIP8 as a promising antigen to stimulates a specific macrophage response against T. vaginalis, but further analyses are required to evaluate their possible potential as a novel antigen for immunodiagnosis and/or vaccine against trichomoniasis.
Acknowledgments
We thank to CONACYT for the scholarship awarded to E. Ceballos-Góngora.
Data availability statement
The data that support the conclusions of this study are included within the article and are available from the corresponding author upon request. https://ind01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcorreouady-my.sharepoint.com%2F%3Af%3A%2Fg%2Fpersonal%2Fjulio_torres_correo_uady_mx%2FEgyLoHTG_StMupnpgu3Eu_MBxhtr7siaPciUJ_rB2PWnfQ%3Fe%3D2xLfIZ&data=02%7C01%7Csathyan.dhanasekaran%40integra.co.in%7C1a56bd8746044501877c08d8430a95f8%7C70e2bc386b4b43a19821a49c0a744f3d%7C0%7C0%7C637333060052697917&sdata=BJyq3YQ4X4dhEXy85pie67BF%2F3Ev76KXcDBa625wT7w%3D&reserved=0
Conflicts of interest statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.