Abstract
In biology, models are experimental systems meant to recreate aspects of diseases or human tissue with the goal of generating inferences and approximations that can contribute to the resolution of specific biological problems. Although there are many models for studying intracellular parasites, their data have produced critical contradictions, especially in immunological assays. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) represent an attractive tissue source in pharmacogenomics and in molecular and immunologic studies, as these cells are easily collected from patients and can serve as sentinel tissue for monitoring physiological perturbations due to disease. However, these cells are a very sensitive model due to variables such as temperature, type of stimulus and time of collection as part of posterior processes. PBMCs have been used to study Toxoplasma gondii and other apicomplexan parasites. For instance, this model is frequently used in new therapies or vaccines that use peptides or recombinant proteins derived from the parasite. The immune response to T. gondii is highly variable, so it may be necessary to refine this cellular model. This mini review highlights the major approaches in which PBMCs are used as a model of study for T. gondii and other apicomplexan parasites. The variables related to this model have significant implications for data interpretation and conclusions related to host-parasite interaction.
Highlights
The phylum Apicomplexa consists of approximately 6,000 species of intracellular protozoan parasites, including various important human and animal pathogens such as Plasmodium, the causative agent of malaria; Cryptosporidium, the causative agent of cryptosporidiosis; Theileria, Babesia and Eimeria, which are important pathogens in cattle and fowl; and T. gondii, which is responsible for toxoplasmosis in birds, marsupials and mammals including humans (Tenter et al, 2000; Dubey, 2010)
We present a summary of how Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) have been used to study T. gondii and other apicomplexan parasites, discuss some controversies related to this cellular model and describe possible improvements to the related protocols
In a study of Cryptosporidium parvum in calves recovering from cryptosporidiosis, scientists used PBMCs to evaluate the immunogenic potential of a specific protein (p23) as a vaccine antigen; in the first step, the researchers infected the calves with the parasite’s oocysts, and in the step, the PBMCs from the calves were stimulated with recombinant p23, showing that this antigen can stimulate a Type-1-like immune response among T cells (Wyatt et al, 2005)
Summary
The phylum Apicomplexa consists of approximately 6,000 species of intracellular protozoan parasites, including various important human and animal pathogens such as Plasmodium, the causative agent of malaria; Cryptosporidium, the causative agent of cryptosporidiosis; Theileria, Babesia and Eimeria, which are important pathogens in cattle and fowl; and T. gondii, which is responsible for toxoplasmosis in birds, marsupials and mammals including humans (Tenter et al, 2000; Dubey, 2010). PBMCs have mainly been used to model T. gondii as part of the evaluation of potential new vaccines or drugs, as well as to understand the relationships between the host’s immune system and the parasite (see Table 1).
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