Canine babesiosis is a tick-borne disease caused by parasites of the genus Babesia. Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) is a cytokine that plays a role in the pathogenesis of canine babesiosis. In this study, the authors determined the concentration of serum TNF-α in 11 dogs infected with Babesia canis and calculated Spearman’s rank correlations between the concentration of TNF-α and blood pressure, and between TNF-α and indices of renal damage such as: fractional excretion of sodium (FE(Na+)), urinary creatinine to serum creatinine ratio (UCr/SCr), renal failure index (RFI), urine specific gravity (USG) and urinary protein to urinary creatinine ratio (UPC). The results demonstrated statistically significant strong negative correlations between TNF-α and systolic arterial pressure (r = −0.7246), diastolic arterial pressure (r = −0.6642) and mean arterial pressure (r = −0.7151). Serum TNF-α concentration was also statistically significantly correlated with FE(Na+) (r = 0.7056), UCr/SCr (r = −0.8199), USG (r = −0.8075) and duration of the disease (r = 0.6767). The results of this study show there is an increase of serum TNF-α concentration during canine babesiosis, and the increased TNF-α concentration has an influence on the development of hypotension and renal failure in canine babesiosis. This probably results from the fact that TNF-α is involved in the production of nitric oxide and induction of vasodilation and hypotension, which may cause renal ischaemia and hypoxia, and finally acute tubular necrosis and renal failure.

The effect of Toxocara larval antigens on cytokine secretion by mouse splenocytes was studied in vitro. Recombinant mucins were produced in Pichia pastoris yeast, and Toxocara excretory-secretory (TES) antigens were collected from in vitro culture of L2 larvae. Tc-MUC-2, Tc-MUC-3, Tc-MUC-4, and Tc-MUC-5 were expressed as glycoproteins and were specifically recognized by Toxocara canis-infected dog serum antibodies. Mouse splenocytes stimulated with recombinant mucins produced IL-5, IL-6, and TGF-β. Cell stimulation with whole TES products was more effective and resulted in secretion of IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, and TGF-β and downregulation of TNF-α production. IFN-γ and IL-17 secretion was noted only after ConA treatment. Cells originating from infected animals produced significantly smaller amounts of these two cytokines compared to control cells, which suggests that Th1 and Th17 response in infected mice is strongly inhibited. However, splenocyte stimulation with both TES and ConA upregulated the production of IFN-γ and IL-17. This shows that TES antigens have strong immunomodulatory properties and are able to induce a broad range of effects on murine immune cells.

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In the current study, the probiotic activity of ten Lactobacillus (Lb.) strains, previously isolated from the traditional Polish fermented vegetable, was characterized. Strains were assessed for adhesion to human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells and regulation of selected cytokine production (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, IL-23, and TNF-α) by THP-1 macrophages. The effect of tested strains on Caco-2 cell apoptosis was also investigated using a caspase-3 assay. Adhesion capacity was strain-dependent (1.29-8.24% of initial population). Highest adhesion was observed for Lb. brevis O24. All Lactobacillus strains investigated in this study stimulated two- to threefold increase in TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 production, compared to the control. Additionally, selected strains of Lactobacillus caused a significant decrease of pro-inflammatory cytokine production by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated THP-1 cells. Almost all Lactobacillus investigated in this study are potent stimulators of IL-10 production. All tested Lactobacillus cells slightly increased the caspase-3 activity in Caco-2 cells. Lb. casei O18 was the most inducing strain. The tested strains had no effect on staurosporine (STS)-induced caspase-3 activity. According to these results, the most promising strains are Lb. plantarum O20, two strains Lb. brevis O22 and O24, and Lb. rhamnosus K3. These newly identified lactobacilli hold promise for use as probiotics in functional food applications.