Antileishmanial and Immunomodulatory Effect of Babassu-Loaded PLGA Microparticles: A Useful Drug Target to Leishmania amazonensis Infection

Figure 3

Phagocytosis of babassu-loaded microparticles by peritoneal macrophages (a) and evaluation of microparticles cytotoxicity (b). Uninfected peritoneal macrophages were treated for 1 h or 24 h with babassu-loaded (MMP) or unloaded (CMP) microparticles to determine the phagocytic index. In the cytotoxicity assays (b), sodium dodecyl sulphate-SDS (10%) was used as positive control and compared to macrophage cultures treated with babassu-loaded microparticles, unloaded microparticles, or aqueous extract of babassu mesocarp (Meso) at concentrations of 3 to 100 μg/mL. Results are expressed as the mean ± standard deviation of individual samples tested in triplicate. () p<0.05 compared to CMP (a) or SDS (b). The photomicrographs showing macrophages loaded with microparticles were obtained by light microscopy (c, d) or by fluorescence microscopy, using 6-coumarin incorporated into the two types of microparticles (CMP6-cum, MMP6-cum) (e-f).

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