Korean J Parasitol.  2013 Jun;51(3):289-295. 10.3347/kjp.2013.51.3.289.

Age-Related CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Regulatory T-Cell Responses During Plasmodium berghei ANKA Infection in Mice Susceptible or Resistant to Cerebral Malaria

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China. ymcao@mail.cmu.edu.cn
  • 2Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Liaoning Medical University, Jinzhou 121000, China.
  • 3Department of Laboratory Medicine, the First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China.
  • 4The Key Laboratory of AIDS Immunology of Ministry of Health, the First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China.

Abstract

Different functions have been attributed to CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T-cells (Tregs) during malaria infection. Herein, we describe the disparity in Treg response and pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines during infection with Plasmodium berghei ANKA between young (3-week-old) and middle-aged (8-month-old) C57BL/6 mice. Young mice were susceptible to cerebral malaria (CM), while the middle-aged mice were resistant to CM and succumbed to hyperparasitemia and severe anemia. The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-alpha, in young CM-susceptible mice were markedly higher than in middle-aged CM-resistant mice. An increased absolute number of Tregs 3-5 days post-inoculation, co-occurring with elevated IL-10 levels, was observed in middle-aged CM-resistant mice but not in young CM-susceptible mice. Our findings suggest that Treg proliferation might be associated with the suppression of excessive pro-inflammatory Th1 response during early malaria infection, leading to resistance to CM in the middle-aged mice, possibly in an IL-10-dependent manner.

Keyword

Plasmodium berghei ANKA; cerebral malaria; CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cell; age; cytokine

MeSH Terms

Aging/*immunology
Animals
Cytokines/genetics/metabolism
Female
Gene Expression Regulation
Malaria/*immunology/*parasitology
Mice
Plasmodium berghei/*classification
T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/classification/*physiology
Cytokines
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