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3-D Imaging and Analysis of Neurons Infected In Vivo with Toxoplasma gondii
Published on: December 9, 2014
Apoptosis within mouse eye induced by Toxoplasma gondii
S Hu1, J D Schwartzman, L H Kasper
1Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou 510060, China. markhu@gzsums.edu.cn
Objective:
To investigate apoptosis induced by Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) in eyes of C57BL/6 (B6) mice.
Methods:
Apoptosis was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) technique and pathological changes within eyes were analyzed at different time points after intraocular inoculation of either 50 or 500 of tachyzoites.
Results:
In eyes that received 50 tachyzoites, a few apoptotic inflammatory cells in the anterior chamber and keratocytes in the cornea were seen at days 1 and 2, but no apoptosis was detected 4 days after inoculation. Significantly greater apoptosis of inflammatory cells was observed in the anterior chamber and in the vitreous of eyes injected with 500 parasites. Apoptosis of inflammatory cells in the anterior chamber and of keratocytes in the cornea was seen at day 1. The apoptotic stromal keratocytes strikingly increased at day 4. There were a number of apoptotic inflammatory cells in the vitreous at day 2, and a few apoptotic retinal cells along the internal limiting membrane and the nerve fiber layer of the retina 4 days after inoculation.
Conclusion:
These results suggest that apoptosis of inflammatory cells infiltrated eye infected with this parasite may be a mechanism of eliminating the organism.
