Prostaglandin E2 inhibits Paracoccidioides brasiliensis killing by human monocytes

Human monocytes lacked fungicidal activity against high virulence strain of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, even after IFN-γ activation. However, monocytes treated with indomethacin exhibited an effective killing against this fungus, suggesting a role of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in the inhibition process. Thus, the purpose of this work was to determine whether the effect of PGE2 in fungicidal activity was related with decrease on H2O2 release, the metabolite involved in P. brasiliensis killing, and changes in the levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-10. Human monocytes challenged with the fungus produced high PGE2 levels, which in turn inhibited the fungicidal activity of these cells by reducing H2O2 and TNF-α production.