Bahia-Oliveira L M, Gomes J A, Rocha M O, Moreira M C, Lemos E M, Luz Z M, Pereira M E, Coffman R L, Dias J C, Cançado J R, Gazzinelli G, Corrêa-Oliveira R
Laboratório de Biologia do Reconhecer, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, RJ, Brasil.
Braz J Med Biol Res. 1998 Jan;31(1):127-31. doi: 10.1590/s0100-879x1998000100017.
An apparently paradoxical role for IFN-gamma in human Chagas' disease was observed when studying the pattern of cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) obtained from two groups of chagasic patients after specific stimulation with Trypanosoma cruzi-derived antigens. The groups studied were 1) patients treated with benznidazole during the acute phase of Trypanosoma cruzi infection and 2) chronically infected untreated patients. In the treated group, higher levels of IFN-gamma were produced by PBMC from individuals cured after treatment when compared to non-cured patients. In contrast, in the chronically infected group (not treated) higher levels of IFN-gamma were produced by PBMC from cardiac patients in comparison with asymptomatic (indeterminate) patients. This apparently paradoxical role for IFN-gamma in human Chagas' disease is discussed in terms of the possibility of a temporal difference in IFN-gamma production during the initial stages of the infection (acute phase) in the presence or absence of chemotherapy. The maintenance of an immune response with high levels of IFN-gamma production during the chronic phase of the infection may favor cure or influence the development of the cardiac form of the disease.
在研究从两组恰加斯病患者获取的外周血单个核细胞（PBMC）在经克鲁斯锥虫衍生抗原特异性刺激后细胞因子产生模式时，观察到γ干扰素在人类恰加斯病中存在一种明显矛盾的作用。所研究的两组患者分别为：1）在克鲁斯锥虫感染急性期接受苯硝唑治疗的患者；2）慢性感染未治疗患者。在治疗组中，与未治愈患者相比，治疗后治愈个体的PBMC产生的γ干扰素水平更高。相比之下，在慢性感染组（未治疗）中，与无症状（不确定）患者相比，心脏病患者的PBMC产生更高水平的γ干扰素。本文从在有或无化疗情况下感染初始阶段（急性期）γ干扰素产生可能存在时间差异的角度，讨论了γ干扰素在人类恰加斯病中这种明显矛盾的作用。在感染慢性期维持高水平γ干扰素产生的免疫反应可能有利于治愈或影响疾病心脏型的发展。
