Adipocytes and inflammation in the cutaneous leishmaniasis outcome - Summary
Leishmania braziliensis infection may cause a high spectrum of clinical manifestation, including the more
prevalent form, cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Inflammatory response is a hallmark of CL and high levels of
TNF, IL-1b, and cytotoxicity are associated with skin ulcer development in these individuals. Our preliminary
data show that obese CL patients have more severe disease, longer time to heal and high levels of circulating
leptin. We will characterize the inflammatory infiltrate observed in the adipose tissue from obese CL patients
and determine the role of adipokines in deleterious inflammation in these individuals. Lipid profiles may vary
across individuals, and they may be pro-inflammatory or contribute to the healing process. Here we will
investigate the lipid profile of obese patients and seek correlation with therapeutic failure in CL. Finally, we will
investigate whether lipids associated with tissue healing can reprogram macrophages to a non-inflammatory /
tissue repair phenotype. We hypothesize that increased levels of leptin and a particular lipid profile enhance
the inflammatory response, leading to poor outcome in obese CL individuals. The overall objective of this
proposal is to determine how adipose tissue integrates with the inflammatory response, influencing the severity
of CL caused by Leishmania braziliensis, and consequently increasing the rate of therapeutic failure of CL
patients.
