Lutzomyia longipalpis Saliva Induces Heme Oxygenase-1 Expression at Bite Sites.

ABSTRACT: Sand flies bite mammalian hosts to obtain a blood meal, driving changes in the host inflammatory response that support the establishment of Leishmania infection. This effect is partially attributed to components of sand fly saliva, which are able to recruit and activate leukocytes. Our group has shown that heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) favors Leishmania survival in infected cells by reducing inflammatory responses. Here, we show that exposure to sand fly bites is associated with induction of HO-1 in vivo. Histopathological analyses of skin specimens from human volunteers experimentally exposed to sand fly bites revealed that HO-1 and Nrf2 are produced at bite sites in the skin. These results were recapitulated in mice ears injected with a salivary gland sonicate (SGS) or exp

SUBMITTER: Luz NF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6279893 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature