The Capsular Polysaccharides GXM and GXMGal from Cryptococcus neoformans Modulate Macrophages Infected with Leishmania major

<i>Leishmania</i> spp. are obligatory intracellular parasites that primarily infect macrophages. The macrophage immune response plays a pivotal role in determining the control or progression of infection. "M1-like" macrophages mediate parasite clearance through the production of nitric oxide, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and reactive oxygen species, whereas "M2-like" macrophages contribute to infection progression by exerting anti-inflammatory effects. The capsular polysaccharides Glucuronoxylomannan (GXM) and glucuronoxylomannogalactan (GXMGal) from <i>Cryptococcus neoformans</i> are capable of immunomodulating the macrophage response. GXM exhibits immunoregulatory activity, whereas GXMGal induces a pro-inflammatory response. Although the activity of these polysaccharides has been studied in cryptococcosis, their immunomodulatory potential in other infectious models remains largely unexplored. Here, we investigated the effects of GXM and GXMGal on <i>Leishmania major</i> infection in murine peritoneal macrophages. Murine peritoneal macrophages were infected with <i>L. major</i> and, 24 h post-infection, treated with 50 μg of either GXM or GXMGal. Our data revealed that GXM treatment enhanced <i>L. major</i> infection, while GXMGal treatment had no significant effect on the parasitic load in infected macrophages.

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Journal
Microorganisms
Published
2025-09-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13102272
Primary Topic
Fungal Infections and Studies
Type
article
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article

The Capsular Polysaccharides GXM and GXMGal from Cryptococcus neoformans Modulate Macrophages Infected with Leishmania major

Lucia Helena Pinto-da-Silva, Lúcia Mendonça‐Previato, José O. Previato, Joyce Cristina Guimarães-de-Oliveira et al.
Microorganisms
Fungal Infections and Studies
article

The Capsular Polysaccharides GXM and GXMGal from Cryptococcus neoformans Modulate Macrophages Infected with Leishmania major

Lucia Helena Pinto-da-Silva, Lúcia Mendonça‐Previato, José O. Previato, Joyce Cristina Guimarães-de-Oliveira, Afonso Santine M. M. Velez, Luciana Polaco Covre, Israel Diniz-Lima, Débora Decotè-Ricardo, Marco Edílson Freire de Lima, Leonardo Freire‐de‐Lima, Alexandre Morrot, Célio Geraldo Freire-de-Lima, Elias Barbosa da Silva-Júnior, Gustavo José Makhoul, Idália Maria Ferreira-dos-Santos, Renata Clemente dos Santos, Fernanda de Paula Pepino, Letícia Seabra Abrantes
article en

Abstract

<i>Leishmania</i> spp. are obligatory intracellular parasites that primarily infect macrophages. The macrophage immune response plays a pivotal role in determining the control or progression of infection. "M1-like" macrophages mediate parasite clearance through the production of nitric oxide, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and reactive oxygen species, whereas "M2-like" macrophages contribute to infection progression by exerting anti-inflammatory effects. The capsular polysaccharides Glucuronoxylomannan (GXM) and glucuronoxylomannogalactan (GXMGal) from <i>Cryptococcus neoformans</i> are capable of immunomodulating the macrophage response. GXM exhibits immunoregulatory activity, whereas GXMGal induces a pro-inflammatory response. Although the activity of these polysaccharides has been studied in cryptococcosis, their immunomodulatory potential in other infectious models remains largely unexplored. Here, we investigated the effects of GXM and GXMGal on <i>Leishmania major</i> infection in murine peritoneal macrophages. Murine peritoneal macrophages were infected with <i>L. major</i> and, 24 h post-infection, treated with 50 μg of either GXM or GXMGal. Our data revealed that GXM treatment enhanced <i>L. major</i> infection, while GXMGal treatment had no significant effect on the parasitic load in infected macrophages.

MicroorganismsVol. 13(10)
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (BR), Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (BR), Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (BR), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (BR)
Openalex Percentile: Top 64%
Fungal Infections and Studies
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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