Korean J Parasitol.  2012 Dec;50(4):301-308.

Experimental Murine Fascioliasis Derives Early Immune Suppression with Increased Levels of TGF-beta and IL-4

• Chung JY
• Bae YA
• Yun DH
• Yang HJ
• Kong Y

Abstract

In fascioliasis, T-helper 2 (Th2) responses predominate, while little is known regarding early immune phenomenon. We herein analyzed early immunophenotype changes of BALB/c, C57BL/6, and C3H/He mice experimentally infected with 5 Fasciola hepatica metacercariae. A remarkable expansion of CD19+ B cells was observed as early as week 1 post-infection while CD4+/CD8+ T cells were down-regulated. Accumulation of Mac1+ cells with time after infection correlated well with splenomegaly of all mice strains tested. The expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha mRNA in splenocytes significantly decreased while that of IL-4 up-regulated. IL-1beta expression was down-modulated in BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice, but not in C3H/He. Serum levels of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta were considerably elevated in all mice during 3 weeks of infection period. These collective results suggest that experimental murine fascioliasis might derive immune suppression with elevated levels of TGF-beta and IL-4 during the early stages of infection.

Keyword

Fasciola hepatica; murine fascioliasis; Mac 1+ cell; T-lymphocyte; IL-4; TGF-beta

MeSH Terms

Animals
B-Lymphocytes/immunology
CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology
CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology
Down-Regulation
Fasciola hepatica/*immunology
Fascioliasis/*immunology
Immunophenotyping
Immunosuppression
Interleukin-4/blood/genetics/*immunology
Male
Mice
Mice, Inbred BALB C
Mice, Inbred C3H
Mice, Inbred C57BL
Spleen/immunology
Transforming Growth Factor beta/blood/genetics/*immunology
Interleukin-4
Transforming Growth Factor beta