Avaliação da apoptose de macrófagos alveolares em camundongos Balb/c infectados com cepas virulenta e atenuada de Mycobacterium bovis

Abstract

Mycobacterium bovis is a member of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, a group of organisms with the capacity to cause tuberculosis in humans. The hallmark of pathogenic mycobacteria is their ability to survive and replicate inside macrophage phagosome. The apoptosis of macrophages infected can be a host defense alternative capable of removing the environment supporting bacterial growth. In this work we investigate, in vivo, the influences of virulence and bacterial load on the apoptosis of macrophages during the initial phase of experimental pulmonary M. bovis infection. BALB/c mice were infected intratracheally with high or low doses of the virulent (ATCC19274) and attenuated (BCG Moreau) strains of M. bovis. The frequency of apoptosis and the growth of mycobacteria in macrophages from lung tissue, and the in situ levels of the cytokines TNF-α, IL-10 and IL-12 and of the anti apoptotic protein Bcl-2 were measured at day 3 and day 7 postinfection. An increase of macrophage apoptosis was observed after the infection with both strains, but the virulent strain induced less apoptosis than the attenuated strain. On the 3rd day of infection there was a reduction of apoptosis in the infection with high dose, whereas on the 7th day we found more inhibition in the lower dose. This inhibition of apoptosis was associated with the increased production of IL-10, reduced production of TNF-α and increases of Bcl-2. In addition, the production of IL-12 was reduced at the points of lowest apoptosis of macrophages, which suggests that the apoptosis of the infected cells contributes to the development of specific immune response against the pathogen. Our results indicate that the virulent strain of M. bovis is able to modulate apoptosis in a dose dependent fashion in accordance with its necessities for intracellular growth and dissemination to adjacent cells.