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Paracoccidioides brasiliensis Uses Endogenous and Exogenous Arachidonic Acid for PGEx Production

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Abstract

Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is the agent of paracoccidioidomycosis, the most prevalent deep mycosis in Latin America. Production of eicosanoids during fungal infections plays a critical role on fungal biology as well as on host immune response modulation. The purpose of our study was to assess whether P. brasiliensis strains with different degree of virulence (Pb18, Pb265, Bt79, Pb192) produce prostaglandin Ex (PGEx). Moreover, we asked if P. brasiliensis could use exogenous sources of arachidonic acid (AA), as well as metabolic pathways dependent on cyclooxygenase (COX) enzyme, as reported for mammalian cells. A possible association between this prostanoid and fungus viability was also assessed. Our results showed that all strains, independently of their virulence, produce high PGEx levels on 4 h culture that were reduced after 8 h. However, in both culture times, higher prostanoid levels were detected after supplementation of medium with exogenous AA. Treatment with indomethacin, a COX inhibitor, induced a reduction on PGEx, as well as in fungus viability. The data provide evidence that P. brasiliensis produces prostaglandin-like molecules by metabolizing either endogenous or exogenous AA. Moreover, the results suggest the involvement of these mediators on fungal viability.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biociências, UNESP – Universidade Estadual Paulista, Campus Botucatu, Rubião Júnior, Botucatu, SP, CEP 18618-000, Brazil

    Guilherme Augusto Biondo, Luciane Alarcão Dias-Melicio, Ana Paula Bordon-Graciani, Michele Janegitz Acorci-Valério & Angela Maria Victoriano Campos Soares

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  1. Guilherme Augusto Biondo
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  2. Luciane Alarcão Dias-Melicio
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  3. Ana Paula Bordon-Graciani
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  4. Michele Janegitz Acorci-Valério
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  5. Angela Maria Victoriano Campos Soares
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Correspondence to Angela Maria Victoriano Campos Soares.

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Biondo, G.A., Dias-Melicio, L.A., Bordon-Graciani, A.P. et al. Paracoccidioides brasiliensis Uses Endogenous and Exogenous Arachidonic Acid for PGEx Production. Mycopathologia 170, 123–130 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-010-9301-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-010-9301-x

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