Visceral leishmaniasis is a severe systemic disease characterized by progressive wasting because of the involvement

of multiple organs including the spleen, liver, lymph nodes, bone marrow, kidneys and skin (1). In a study of 215 dogs naturally infected with Leishmania chagasi, symptomatic and asymptomatic, 4% of the animals demonstrated neurological alterations, which were generally manifested as paraparesis with evolution to paraplegia and seizures (2). Visceral leishmaniasis is a chronic inflammatory disease, and the most characteristic histopathological finding is an intense chronic inflammatory reaction composed of mononuclear cells (macrophages, plasma cells and lymphocytes) in most organs. selleck screening library Similar to others tissues, the most frequent histopathological findings in the brain of dogs with VL that either exhibited or did not exhibit neurological symptoms were leptomeningitis, choroiditis, satellitosis,

neuronophagia, gliosis, perivascular lymphoplasmacytic infiltration, vascular congestion and the presence of haemorrhages (3,4); however, there are a few reports examining the pathogenesis of VL. Recently, the migration of blood-derived immune cells, particularly a large number of CD3+ T lymphocytes with smaller numbers of phagocytic cells and CD79+ B lymphocytes, into the brain was observed in spontaneous canine VL (5). The choroid plexus could play a key role controlling the interaction between the brain and the peripheral immune system as it is a way for lymphocytes to migrate from the blood to the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) (6). Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are proteolytic enzymes secreted as latent Dinaciclib enzymes that must be cleaved to become Miconazole fully active. Among the MMPs, MMP-2 (gelatinase A) and MMP-9 (gelatinase B) are able to digest basal lamina, which can lead to the opening of cerebral barriers (7). Then, the analysis of the CSF is pivotal for detecting diseases in the central nervous system (CNS), and even though specific diagnoses may not be achieved, these analyses are helpful to distinguish

inflammatory, neoplastic or metabolic diseases (8). This study examined the levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the CSF of dogs to determine the possible alterations in these proteinases during natural systemic infection with L. chagasi. We selected a total of 60 mixed-breed, male and female dogs, stray or domiciled, ranging in age from 8 months to 7 years, which were referred to the Teaching Veterinary Hospital UNESP-FO-Araçatuba and to the Zoonosis Control Center in the municipality of Araçatuba, an area with endemic VL and with a seroprevalence of canine VL of 12% (9). The dogs were separated into two groups: the group of infected dogs contained 50 animals with VL, while the group of control uninfected dogs contained 10 animals that were clinically healthy (Table 1). None of the dogs presented neurological symptoms.