Received: December 1, 2004, Accepted: June 1, 2005, Published online: October 30, 2005.

MEASUREMENT OF IL-10 SERUM LEVELS IN BALB/C MICE TREATED WITH BETA-1,3 POLYGLUCOSE OR SULFADIAZINE AND ACUTELY INFECTED BY Toxoplasma gondii

PICKA M. C. M. (1), CALVI S. A. (1), LIMA C. R. G. (1), SANTOS, I. A. T. (1), MARCONDES-MACHADO J. (1)

(1) Botucatu School of Medicine, São Paulo State University, UNESP, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil.

ABSTRACT: Acute infection by Toxoplasma gondii leads to suppression of cell-mediated immunity, facilitating chronic infection. One of the causes of immunosuppression is Interleukin-10 (IL-10) production. Glucan is used to stimulate phagocytosis. Our objective was to study IL-10 induction in male BALB/c mice with acute T. gondii BTU-2 strain infection, glucan immunostimulation, and sulfadiazine treatment. Animals were distributed into 7 groups: G1: infected with T. gondii; G2: infected with T. gondii and treated with sulfadiazine; G3: infected with T. gondii and immunostimulated with glucan; G4: infected with T. gondii, immunostimulated with glucan, and treated with sulfadiazine; G5: imunostimulated with glucan; G6: treated with saline; and G7: treated with sulfadiazine. IL-10 levels were determined by ELISA; the highest levels were found in G2, G3 and G4, and the lowest in G1 (p<0.001). Groups G1 to G5 and G7 had substantially higher levels than G6 (p<0.001). In this study, the highest IL-10 levels were found in groups treated with glucan.

KEY WORDS: Toxoplasma gondii, interleukin-10, glucan, immune response, sulfadiazine.

CORRESPONDENCE TO:

JUSSARA MARCONDES MACHADO, Alameda das Tipuanas, 540, 18607-340, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil. Email: jmachado@fmb.unesp.br