Effect of bioamines on uptake of promastigotes of Leishmania donovani by hamster peritoneal macrophages.

Epinephrine and norepinephrine inhibit attachment of Leishmania donovani promastigotes to cultured hamster peritoneal macrophages. The inhibition was significant at catecholamine concentrations of 10(-4) and 10(-5) M and occurred when they were added to the cell mixtures, or after pre-treatment of either macrophages or parasites. Inhibition of attachment after pre-treatment was less marked than when the catecholamines were added to parasite-cell mixtures. Similar results were obtained with dibutyryl cyclic AMP, cholera toxin, theophylline, and cadaverine which raise intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP). Pretreatment of parasites or macrophages with the bioamines elevated the intracellular cAMP concentration. It is suggested that the inhibitory effect on the host-parasite interaction is mediated through cAMP.