Development of an immunomodulatory nanosystem target to hepatocytes as an alternative tool for R. microplus cattle tick control

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The development of the immune response in animals is quite complex and its modulation is a potential field for the maintenance of health condition of the herds. The control of the main diseases affecting animal production is made with the use of acaricides, antihelmintics and antibiotics that constitute risks to animal, human and environmental health. In this context new approaches to maintaining the health of livestock must be developed in order to minimize these risks and at the same time meet market and rural producer demands. Results obtained in previous projects to identify potential immunomodulatory agents to control Rhipicephalus microplus allowed identifying the active participation of a nuclear receptor, the Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Alpha (PPARa), in the resistance to the infestation by this tick. The PPARa receptor acts by modulating gene expression in different tissues by being involved in processes such as oxidative metabolism and production of complement factors and Acute Phase Proteins (APP), mostly produced in the liver. In vitro assays have shown that the use of fenofibrate, a specific PPARa ligand, is able to modulate the production of these factors favoring a phenotype of immune response that is associated with resistance to R. microplus infestation. This nanosystem will be loaded with a specific PPARa ligand to verify the ability to selectively modulate the expression of complement factors and APPs in hepatocytes. The nanosystems are being developed based on the process described in the patent BR1020150020694 entitled "Process for Obtaining Bioactive Molecules in Micro and Nanostructured Carrier Systems", registered at the INPI (National Institute of Industrial Property). In this process, red cell membranes are used to obtain phospholipids, which are used in the formulation of liposomal nanosystems with active targeting for hepatocytes, conjugated with fenofibrate (HepatoHNano-PPAR), or not (HepatoHNano), through specific methodologies that are being tested in this project. Bovine hepatocytes will be isolated and incubated in vitro with the developed nanosomes to verify their toxicity and immunomodulatory capacity. At the end of this project it is expected to generate new technological tools that will be clustered and tested in the future in the in vivo delivery of drugs (HepatoHNano) and immunomodulatory agents (HepatoHNano-PPAR) to the bovine liver tissue. The immunomodulatory nanosystems to be developed in this project have great potential to provide advances in the clinical treatments and control of parasitoses in the veterinary field since they positively modulate production of complement factors and acute phase proteins, which are essential in the first line of combat to parasitoses and related to resistance to R. microplus tick infestation.

Status: Completed Start date: Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2019 Conclusion date: Mon Aug 31 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2020

Head Unit: Embrapa Dairy Cattle

Project leader: Wanessa Araujo Carvalho

Contact: wanessa.carvalho@embrapa.br