Indução de imunidade com extrato proteico de Plasmodium berghei NK65 contra o desenvolvimento de malária cerebral por Plasmodium berghei ANKA em modelo murino

Abstract

The broad distribution of malaria around of the globe and the large number of clinical cases/deaths attributed to this disease turns the discovery of a safe and effective malaria vaccine an essential tool to halt the spread of the disease. Vaccines focused on the use of live parasites and crude parasites antigens have shown good results on the induction of antimalarial immunity, although it is still not clear if immunizations with low virulent strains are capable to prevent the development of symptoms of cerebral malaria. This research aim to investigate if immunizations with crude antigen of Plasmodium berghei NK65 (PbN), a low virulence strain noninductive of cerebral malaria in C57BL/6 mice, are able to protect the animals against the development of cerebral malaria after challenge with Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA). Mice were immunized twice with crude antigen associated to CPG-ODN adjuvant. Thirty days after the second immunization animals were challenged with 105 red blood cells infected with P. berghei ANKA. Animals were daily monitored to evaluate the clinical score and parasitaemia levels. If the presence of neurological signs (score < 5) were detected, animals were euthanized and blood samples, spleen and brain were collected; animals without neurological commitment were followed daily until the 14 day post-infection. Antibodies and cytokines levels, splenic cellular population (T CD4+, T CD8+ and B lymphocytes) and histopathological analysis were performed. The results showed that 46% of the animals immunized with crude antigen of PbN and 69% of the animals immunized with crude antigen of PbA were protected from the development of cerebral malaria and had their survival rate prolonged, however, these animals developed hyperparasitaemia, with levels up to 38% of circulating parasites. These animals did not present neurological signs which were confirmed macroscopically by the absence of hemorrhage and reduce brain inflammation in relation to the animals that evolved to cerebral malaria. Histopathologically, the animals with hyperparasitaemia presented few adhered leukocytes in the vascular endothelium and absence of obstructed vessels. In relation to cytokine levels and number of splenic lymphocytes, these were significantly reduced in animals that developed hyperparasitism in comparison with those who developed cerebral malaria. Interestingly, the immunized animals were able to recognize both homologous and heterologous antigens used during the immunization process, however, these antibodies did not appear to influence at the clinical condition presented by the animals. Therefore, our study demonstrates that immunizations with low virulence parasites may induce immunity capable of protecting against highly virulent strains, but the factors that mediate this protection still need to be better investigated.