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Infected animals mediate transmission of the <jats:italic>Leishmania<\/jats:italic> protozoan to humans via the sandfly\u2019s bite during a blood meal. CanL progression depends on the degree of suppression of the immune response, possibly associated with microRNAs (miR), which can modulate mRNA translation into proteins and (consequently) regulate cell function. Increased miR-148a in splenic leukocytes (SL) of dogs with CanL was observed in previous studies, and in silico analysis, identified possible pathways involved in immune response regulation that are affected by this miR. Therefore, we evaluated the involvement of miR-148a in the regulation of TNF-\u03b1, IL-6, IL-12, IL-1\u03b2, iNOS, MHCII, CD80, CD3, T-bet, and GATA-3 transcription factors and their relationship with parasite load in SL of dogs with CanL. Splenic leukocytes obtained from healthy and diseased dogs were transfected with miR-148a mimic and inhibitor oligonucleotides. After 48 hours, expression levels of MHCII, CD80, iNOS, CD3, T-bet, and GATA-3 were evaluated by flow cytometry, and concentrations of TNF-\u03b1, IL-12, IL-6, and IL-1\u03b2 were measured in culture supernatants by capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Transfection of SL with miR-148a mimics decreased iNOS levels in cells and TNF-\u03b1, IL-6, and IL-12 in the supernatants of cultured SL from CanL dogs. Interestingly, transfection with miR-148a inhibitor decreased parasite load in SL cells. These results suggest a direct or not regulatory role of this miR in the immune response to <jats:italic>Leishmania infantum<\/jats:italic> infection. We conclude that miR-148a can modulate immune responses by regulating inflammatory cytokines during CanL. Our results contribute to understanding the complex host\/parasite interaction in CanL and could assist the development of treatments.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0011039","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,31]],"date-time":"2023-01-31T18:26:03Z","timestamp":1675189563000},"page":"e0011039","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pntd.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["miR-148a regulation interferes in inflammatory cytokine and parasitic load in canine leishmaniasis"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Gabriela Torres","family":"Rebech","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jaqueline Poleto","family":"Bragato","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sidnei Ferro","family":"Costa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"J\u00e9ssica Henrique","family":"de Freitas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marilene Oliveira","family":"dos Santos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Matheus Fujimura","family":"Soares","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fl\u00e1via de Rezende","family":"Eug\u00eanio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Paulo S\u00e9rgio Patto","family":"dos Santos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0954-5045","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Val\u00e9ria Mar\u00e7al Felix","family":"de Lima","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"pntd.0011039.ref001","unstructured":"Word Heath Organization. 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