Salivary gland extracts (SGE) from Lutzomyia longipalpis potentate L. major infection by inducing a Th2 immune response. However, the effect of SGE on the effector phase of immune response is not known. Herein, we demonstrate that SGE inhibited neutrophil migration in ovalbumin (OVA)-induced peritonitis in immunized mice. SGE pretreatment of mice inhibited OVA-induced CD4 + and CD8 + T lymphocyte migration. The OVA-induced production of TNF-a, IL-1b and leukotriene B4 (LTB 4 ), neutrophil chemotactic mediators in this model, were inhibited by SGE. On the other hand, SGE enhanced production of IL-10 and IL-4. In naive mice, SGE also blocked LTB 4 -induced neutrophil migration, but not that induced fMLP. Moreover, co-incubation of LTB 4 (but not fMLP, TNF-a and MIP-1a) with SGE inhibited the ability of LTB 4 to induce neutrophil migration in vivo and in vitro. Altogether, the results suggest that SGE has anti-inflammatory properties that are associated with inhibition of TNF-a and LTB 4 production and/or with the neutrophil chemotactic activity of LTB 4 . The effectiveness of SGE in inhibiting neutrophil migration and inflammatory mediators release in a Th1 immune inflammatory response model reinforces the need for isolation of the compounds responsible for these activities, which could be used as prototypes for the development new anti-inflammatory drugs.
IntroductionParticipation of vector saliva in disease transmission has long been recognized. Saliva inoculated during blood feeding modulates the immune response allowing the infection to become established [1][2][3]. On the other hand, anti-vector saliva immunity may protect the host against some vector-borne diseases [4][5][6][7]. In leishmaniasis, there is evidence that the saliva of the vectors Lutzomyia and Phlebotomus contains substances with immunosuppressor, vasodilatator, anti-platelet and anticlotting activities [8][9][10][11][12][13]. In addition to increasing the hemorrhagic pool where sand flies feed [8,14], salivary components also induce host immunosuppression, which is fundamental for the establishment of Leishmania infection [10,[15][16][17][18][19] production and antigen presentation by infected macrophages [20][21][22]. Furthermore, they inhibit Th1 induction, enhancing the Th2-type response with an increase of IL-4 and IL-10 in the infection [23][24][25]. A predominance of the Th1 response has been reported in several inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, glomerulonephritis, and immune vasculitis [26][27][28][29]. The participation of neutrophils in the pathogenesis of tissue lesions in these diseases has long been recognized [30][31][32][33]. These cells are important sources of substances that promote tissue damage, such as reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, lysosomal enzymes and metalloproteases [34,35]. Indeed, the efficacy of the so-called disease modifying anti-inflammatory drugs in several inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis is usually associated with their ability to decrease neutro...