Balamuthia mandrillaris is a causative agent of granulomatous amebic encephalitis, a rare but often fatal condition. To investigate the role of T helper (Th) cell subsets in the immune response against B. mandrillaris, we examined 3 mouse strains with distinct immunological profiles: C57BL/6 (Th1-dominant), BALB/c (Th2-dominant), and ICR (balanced Th1/Th2). Mice were infected intranasally with 1×105 amoebae. Body weight and neurologic symtoms were monitored weekly, and cytokine expression was assessed biweekly over 6 weeks. Minimal weight loss and no mortality were observed in C57BL/6 mice, whereas BALB/c and ICR mice exhibited significant early and delayed mortality, respectively. Interleukin-17A expression was notably elevated in C57BL/6 mice compared with the other strains. These findings indicate that a robust Th17 response, particularly interleukin-17A production, is a critical component of the host defense against B. mandrillaris infection.
The ability of nematodes to manipulate the immune system of their host towards a Th2 and T regulatory responses has been proposed to suppress the inflammatory response. Clinical trials have proposed a useful effect of helminth infections on improvement of inflammatory disorders. In this study, we investigated the immunomodulatory effect of Syphacia obvelata infection to induce intestinal tolerance in C57BL/6 mice. Mice were infected through the cagemates with self-infected BALB/c mice. Four weeks post-infection, expression levels of IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-17, and IL-10 were assessed in the supernatant of mesenteric lymph node (MLN) culture. Foxp3+Treg were measured in MLN cells by flow cytometry. In the S. obvelata-infected group, the percentage of Tregs (5.2±0.4) was significantly higher than the control (3.6±0.5) (P<0.05). The levels of IL-10 (55.3±2.2 vs 35.2±3.2), IL-17 (52.9±3.8 vs 41±1.8), IFN-γ (44.8±4.8 vs 22.3±2.3) and TNF-α (71.1±5.8 vs 60.1±3.3) were significantly increased in infected mice compared to the control group (P<0.05). The above results showed the potential effects of S. obvelata to induce intestinal tolerance. Therefore, it seems that S. obvelata may increase the immunological suppressive function in the intestinal tract.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Syphacia obvelata antigens alter the FOXP3/RORɣt expression balance in isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells of IBD patients Abbas Amin, Niloofar Taghipour, Mohammad Rostami-Nejad, Foroogh Alborzi Avanaki, Reyhaneh Jafarshad, Seyyed Javad Seyyed Tabaei, Nariman Mosaffa Scientific Reports.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Potential anthelmintic effect of chitosan on Syphacia muris infecting Wistar rats: biochemical, immunological, and histopathological studies Nesma A. Mostafa, Salwa A. H. Hamdi, Mona F. Fol Scientific Reports.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Immune response, oxidative stress, and histological changes of Wistar rats after being administered with Parascaris equorum antigen Salma Adel Yehia, Abeer Mahmoud Badr, Abdel-Rahman Bashtar, Mahmoud Abdel-Aziz Ibrahim, Mohamed Refat Mousa, Nesma Abbas Mostafa Scientific Reports.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Immunomodulatory effect of Dicrocoelium dendriticum ova on DSS-induced experimental colitis in C57BL/6 mouse Leila Mighani, Malihe Eilakinezhad, Seyed-Alireza Esmaeili, Majid Khazaei, Moein Eskandari, Seyedeh Elnaz Nazari, Mojtaba Mousavi Bazaz, Khatereh kharazmi, Elham Moghaddas, Mehdi Zarean Scientific Reports.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Isolation and Functions of Extracellular Vesicles Derived from Parasites: The Promise of a New Era in Immunotherapy, Vaccination, and Diagnosis
Mojdeh Khosravi, Elnaz Sadat Mirsamadi, Hamed Mirjalali, Mohammad Reza Zali International Journal of Nanomedicine.2020; Volume 15: 2957. CrossRef
Immunomodulatory effect of Syphacia obvelata in treatment of experimental DSS-induced colitis in mouse model Niloofar Taghipour, Nariman Mosaffa, Hamid Asadzadeh Aghdaei, Mohammad Rostami-Nejad, Joel V. Weinstock, Sarira Shahnavaz, Mohammad Reza Zali Scientific Reports.2019;[Epub] CrossRef
Hypothesis: Multiple sclerosis is caused by three-hits, strictly in order, in genetically susceptible persons Patrick K A Kearns, Helen A Casey, John Paul Leach Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders.2018; 24: 157. CrossRef
First
Prev
