Lung Clearance of Aspergillus fumigatus Conidia Pre-opsonized with the Long Pentraxin PTX3

PTX3-preopsonized conidia of Aspergillus fumigatus were intra-tracheal administered to rats, immunosuppressed with cortisone acetate. Reduction of lung fungal burden, 24 hours after infection, confirms PTX3 ability to promote fungal clearance from the lung likely by enhancing phagocytosis and killing of conidia by resident innate immunity cells, thus indicating that the opsonic activity of the protein is exploitable also on the respiratory mucosa. Present results provide clues for the direct delivery of PTX3 to the lung.

Author(s): Mariachiara Minerva, Emanuele Marra, Maria Lucrezia Pacello, Daniela Stoppoloni, Caterina Chiapparino, Rita De Santis, Giovanni Salvatori, Flavia Novelli and Claudio Pioli

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