Leishmania amazonensis promastigotes in 3D Collagen I culture: an in vitro physiological environment for the study of extracellular matrix and host cell interactions.

ABSTRACT: Leishmania amazonensis is the causative agent of American cutaneous leishmaniasis, an important neglected tropical disease. Once Leishmania amazonensis is inoculated into the human host, promastigotes are exposed to the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the dermis. However, little is known about the interaction between the ECM and Leishmania promastigotes. In this study we established L. amazonensis promastigote culture in a three-dimensional (3D) environment mainly composed of Collagen I (COL I). This 3D culture recreates in vitro some aspects of the human host infection site, enabling the study of the interaction mechanisms of L. amazonensis with the host ECM. Promastigotes exhibited "freeze and run" migration in the 3D COL I matrix, which is completely different from the conventional in vit

SUBMITTER: Petropolis DB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3994643 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature