Non-lethal rodent malarial infection prevents collagen-induced arthritis in mice via anti-arthritic immunomodulation

Immunomodulatory effects of parasitic infections on the outcomes of allergic or autoimmune disorders have been addressed in many experimental studies. We examined the effects of Plasmodium yoelii 17X NL (Py) infection on collagen-induced arthritis (CIA).

Male DBA/1J mice were immunized with bovine type II collagen (IIC). Py inoculation was induced at three different time points (1, 4 weeks after or 4 weeks before the immunization). Only the inoculation at 4 weeks after IIC immunization significantly inhibited arthritis development. Non-malarial anaemia induced by phenylhydrazine hydrochloride (PHZ) did not affect arthritis development. In the infected mice, anti-IIC IgG levels were transiently reduced. In addition, splenic production of pro-arthritic cytokines (IL-17 and TNF-α) and IFN-γ decreased, whereas IL-10 production increased. Flow cytometric analysis clarified that the main IL-10 producers in Py-infected mice had the CD4⁺ CD25^- Foxp3^- phenotype, presumably Tr1 cells.

We demonstrated that experimental malarial infection alleviated autoimmune arthritis via immunomodulation, suggesting the importance of malaria in the hygiene hypothesis and the significance of searching for therapeutic immunomodulatory molecules from malarial parasites.