Korean J Parasitol.  2012 Mar;50(1):89-93. 10.3347/kjp.2012.50.1.89.

Depressed Neuronal Growth Associated Protein (GAP)-43 Expression in the Small Intestines of Mice Experimentally Infected with Neodiplostomum seoulense

• Pyo KH
• Kang EY
• Jung BK
• Moon JH
• Chai JY
• Shin EH

• KMID: 1364902
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2012.50.1.89

Abstract

Neodiplostomum seoulense (Digenea: Neodiplostomidae) is an intestinal trematode that can cause severe mucosal pathology in the small intestines of mice and even mortality of the infected mice within 28 days after infection. We observed neuronal growth associated protein-43 (GAP-43) expression in the myenteric plexus of the small intestinal wall of N. seoulense-infected mice until day 35 post-infection (PI). BALB/c mice were infected with 200 or 500 N. seoulense metacercariae isolated from naturally infected snakes and were killed every 7 days for immunohistochemical demonstration of GAP-43 in the small intestines. N. seoulense-infected mice showed remarkable dilatation of intestinal loops compared with control mice through days 7-28 PI. Conversely, GAP-43 expression in the mucosal myenteric plexus was markedly (P<0.05) reduced in the small intestines of N. seoulense-infected mice during days 7-28 PI and was slightly normalized at day 35 PI. From this study, it is evident that neuronal damage occurs in the intestinal mucosa of N. seoulense-infected mice. However, the correlation between intestinal pathology, including the loop dilatation, and depressed GAP-43 expression remains to be elucidated.

Keyword

Neodiplostomum seoulense; growth associated protein-43 (GAP-43); myenteric plexus; intestinal loop dilatation

MeSH Terms

Animals
*Down-Regulation
Female
GAP-43 Protein/*genetics/metabolism
Humans
Intestine, Small/*metabolism/parasitology
Male
Metacercariae/growth & development/isolation & purification
Mice
Mice, Inbred BALB C
Mice, Inbred C3H
Trematoda/growth & development/isolation & purification/*physiology
Trematode Infections/*genetics/metabolism/parasitology