Korean J Parasitol.  1996 Sep;34(3):185-189. 10.3347/kjp.1996.34.3.185.

Production of interferon-gamma and interleukin-4 by splenocytes in mice infected with Paragonimus westermani

• Shin MH
• Min DY

• KMID: 1715354
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3347/kjp.1996.34.3.185

Abstract

The TH cytokine responses of spleen cells stimulated with Con A from mice infected with Paragonimus westermani were examined. The spleen cell culture supernatants were assayed for TH1-specific IFN-gamma and TH2-specific IL-4. Cytokine responses for IL-4 peaked at three days (410 +/- 60.9 pg/ml), persisted at a high level until the second week (343 +/- 59.0 pg/ml), and then decreased slowly four and six weeks after infection. IFN-gamma production by splenocytes only increased during the first week (151 +/- 32.3 pg/ml) and declined abruptly after the second week of infection. IFN-gamma production by splenocytes of infected mice was not observed during the sixth week of infection. In addition, serum IL-4 and IFN-gamma were measured. Serum IL-4 was not detected in substantial quantity until four to six weeks after infection. The time course of serum IL-4 was not correlated with that of IL-4 production by splenocytes. Serum IFN-gamma was undetectable during the entire course of infection. These results suggest that TH2 cytokine responses, rather than TH1, predominate in mice infected with P. westermani.

MeSH Terms

Animal
Cells, Cultured
Concanavalin A/IMMUNOLOGY
Interferon Type II/*BIOSYNTHESIS; Interleukin-4/*BIOSYNTHESIS
Male
Mice
Mice, Inbred BALB C
Paragonimiasis/*IMMUNOLOGY
Spleen/IMMUNOLOGY/CYTOLOGY
Th1 Cells/IMMUNOLOGY
Th2 Cells/IMMUNOLOGY
Time Factors