Effect of chitin and chitosan microparticles on interferon-γ and interlukine-5 production by leishmania infected lymph nodes cell suspensions of the Balb/c mice

There are several reports on immune modulating properties of chitin and chitosan microparticles. To determine the feasibility of using chitinous microparticles as an adjuvant in vaccination against Leishmania, the influence of chitin and chitosan microparticles on interferon-gama (IFN-γ) and interlkine-5 (IL-5) production by Leishmania infected cell suspension were studied.
Balb/c mice were intradermally infected with 2 × 105 stationary phase of L. major promastigotes into their base of the tail and two weeks later, leishmania infected lymph nodes cell suspensions of the mice were isolated. Small sized chitinous micro-particles ( Chitin and chitosan microparticles were caused cell proliferation, but no one has been able to stimulate the production of nitrite oxide from the Leishmania infected cell suspension. In stimulation with chitin microparticles, increase the ratio of IFN-γ/IL-5 was observed.
Chitin micro-particles are able to stimulate the production of IFN-γ in the Leishmania infected cell suspension and in the lymph nodes cell suspension can stimulate some cells to proliferation. Chitin seems to be utilized as an immunoadjuvant in Leishmania vaccine.