Lipoxin Inhibits Fungal Uptake by Macrophages and Reduces the Severity of Acute Pulmonary Infection Caused by Paracoccidioides brasiliensis

Figure 4

Blocking of CysLTR₁ alters the pulmonary inflammatory exudates, the production of cytokines, and the expression of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) by P. brasiliensis infected mice. MTL-treated and untreated B10.A mice were infected with 1 × 10⁶ P. brasiliensis yeasts and the presence of (a) inflammatory cells (macrophages, PMN neutrophils, and lymphocytes) in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was analyzed 48 h later (5-6 mice per group). The cell suspensions were obtained and cytospun onto glass slides. Cells were stained by the Diff-Quick blood stain. (b) The levels of pulmonary cytokines were measured in lung cell homogenates of MTL-treated and untreated B10.A mice infected with 1 × 10⁶ P. brasiliensis yeasts. 48 h after infection, lungs were collected, disrupted in 5.0 mL of PBS, and supernatants analyzed for cytokine content by capture ELISA. (c) Median fluorescence intensity (MFI) of PRRs (CD11b, TLR2, TLR4, Dectin-1, and MR) expressed by F4/80⁺ lung leukocytes 48 h after P. brasiliensis infection of B10.A mice. The lung and leukocyte suspensions were obtained and stained as described in materials and methods. Cells were analyzed by flow cytometry, and the acquisition and analysis gates were restricted to F4/80 labeled macrophages. The results are depicted as means ± SEM of two experiments (5-6 mice per group). .

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