The immunotherapy with hMASP-2 DNA nanolipoplexes against echinococcosis in experimentally protoscolex-infected mice

Cystic echinococcosis (CE), a complex and neglected zoonotic infectious disease, is mainly caused by larval tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus with a worldwide distribution. For CE, an effective drug treatment is not yet available. The present study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of hMASP-2-based immunotherapy against hydatid cysts by using murine model. Eighteen weeks after infection with 2000 viable protoscoleces intraperitoneally, the infected mice were treated with hMASP-2 DNA nanolipoplexes (pcDNA3.1-hMASP-2) and albendazole respectively. After six weeks treatment, a significant reduction in the weight of cysts was observed both in the pcDNA3.1-hMASP-2 group and albendazole group compared with the untreated group (P  <  0.05). The hMASP-2 DNA nanolipoplexes not only inhibited the development of germinal layer, but also induced the extensive degeneration and damage of the germinal layer cells. Furthermore, compared with the untreated group, the number of CD4⁺T cells and CD8⁺T cells and the level of serum IFN-γ were significantly increased (P < 0.05). The frequency of PD-1⁺T-cell subpopulations including CD4⁺PD-1⁺T cells and CD8⁺PD-1⁺T cells and the level of serum IL-4 were notably decreased (P < 0.05) in the pcDNA3.1-hMASP-2 treatment group. Therefore, the hMASP-2 DNA nanolipoplexes displayed an effective treatment for echinococcosis through inhibiting the development of cysts and up-regulatory T-cell immunity. This new hMASP-2-based immunotherapeutic strategy could be a potential alternative for the treatment of CE, but further studies are recommended to evaluate the full potential of these hMASP-2 DNA nanolipoplexes in the treatment of human CE.