Cathelicidins Limit Intracellular-Infection in Macrophages.

Infections with the protozoancause abortion in cattle, likely due to the parasite's replication and excessive inflammation in the placenta. Cathelicidins are host defense peptides known for their antimicrobial and immunomodulatory functions, but their role ininfections remains elusive. Using bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) isolated from mice expressing (wild-type,) and lacking () cathelicidins, we investigated the role of endogenous cathelicidin in infections with. We show thatmacrophages primed with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) had an increased number of intracellulartachyzoites, and these macrophages released higher amounts of IL-1β and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), a marker of cytotoxicity. These findings indicate that cathelicidins contribute to intracellularcontrol and inflammation by limiting the activation of the inflammasome, particularly under LPS-induced conditions. This insight reveals the immunomodulatory role of cathelicidins in controlling-associated pathologies.