Related Experiment Videos
Immunomodulation by hydatid cyst fluid toxin (Echinococcus granulosus)
D Janssen1, M C Rueda, P H De Rycke
1Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Sciences, Granada, Spain.
Parasite Immunology
|April 1, 1997
Summary
Hydatid fluid (HF) contains toxins that harm immune cells, affecting T-cell density and antibody production. These findings shed light on the host-parasite relationship in hydatidosis.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Parasitology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Hydatid cysts (Echinococcus granulosus) infection in mice modulates host immunity.
- Hydatid fluid (HF) contains various components that may influence immune responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the immunomodulatory effects of hydatid fluid (HF) and its purified fractions.
- To identify specific toxic components within HF and their impact on immune cells.
Main Methods:
- Fractionation of HF using ammonium sulphate precipitation, chloroform/methanol extraction, and thin-layer chromatography (TLC).
- In vitro assessment of toxicity on murine peritoneal macrophages.
- In vivo studies involving antibody production assays and flow-cytometric analysis of lymphocytes, T-cells, and thymocytes.
Main Results:
- HF exhibited toxicity towards murine macrophages in vitro.
- A specific TLC-purified fraction demonstrated significant toxicity and adjuvant-like effects on antibody production.
- Treatment with the toxic fraction reduced peripheral blood lymphocytes and altered T-cell marker expression (CD3, CD4, CD8) in mice.
- In vitro, the toxin down-regulated CD4 and CD8 expression on thymocytes, dependent on macrophage presence.
Conclusions:
- Specific toxins within hydatid fluid play a role in the immunomodulation observed during hydatidosis.
- These toxins can impair immune cell function, potentially contributing to the host-parasite relationship.