In VitroActivation of Macrophages by an MHC Class II-restrictedTrichomonas VaginalisTvZIP8-derived Synthetic Peptide

Background Macrophages play an important role in the inflammatory response towards pathogens and their effector functions depend on the mode of activation which is mediated by recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns, as peptides.Trichomonas vaginalisprovokes an inflammatory response in the host in which macrophages are the first line of defense. This study aimed to analyze the effect of a specific peptide derived from the transporter TvZIP8 ofT. vaginalison the activation of macrophages. Methods Anin silicoapproach based on computational prediction of epitopes was applied to detect potential murine MHC class II-restricted peptides from TvZIP8 that can activate macrophages and the immunomodulatory activity was evaluated byin vitrostimulation of murine macrophages. Results Based on binding scores, one peptide denominated TvZIP8-pep was selected for further analysis.In vitrostimulation with synthetic TvZIP8-pep triggered on murine macrophages the NO and H(2)O(2)production and an overexpression ofiNOSandNOX-2genes. Also, a significant increase of pro-inflammatory cytokines: IL-1 beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha, as well as, overexpression of the TLR4, MyD88, and NF-kappa B genes and NF-kappa B activation were observed on macrophages after stimulation with TvZIP8-pep in vitro. Moreover, higher levels of IFN-gamma were detected in co-cultures using CD4 + T cells with TvZIP8-pep-stimulated macrophages Conclusion These results support the potential of TvZIP8 as a promising antigen to stimulates a specific macrophage response againstT. vaginalis, but further analyses are required to evaluate their possible potential as a novel antigen for immunodiagnosis and/or vaccine against trichomoniasis.