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. 2019 Jun 28;12(1):326.
doi: 10.1186/s13071-019-3561-1.

Preventive and therapeutic effects of Trichinella spiralis adult extracts on allergic inflammation in an experimental asthma mouse model

Siying Sun  1 , Huihui Li  1 , Yuan Yuan  1 , Liyuan Wang  1 , Wenxin He  1 , Hong Xie  1 , Shifang Gao  1 , Ruoxue Cheng  2 , Haichun Qian  1 , Hui Jiang  1 , Xiaoli Wang  1 , Bin Zhan  3 , Qiang Fang  4   5 , Xiaodi Yang  6   7
Affiliations

Preventive and therapeutic effects of Trichinella spiralis adult extracts on allergic inflammation in an experimental asthma mouse model

Siying Sun et al. Parasit Vectors. .

Abstract

Background: Helminths immunomodulate the host immune system by secreting proteins to create an inhibitory environment as a strategy for survival in the host. As a bystander effect, this balances the host immune system to reduce hypersensitivity to allergens or autoantigens. Based on this, helminth therapy has been used to treat some allergic or autoimmune diseases. As a tissue-dwelling helminth, Trichinella spiralis infection has been identified to have strong immunomodulatory effects; the effective components in the worm have not yet been identified.

Methods: The soluble extracts of T. spiralis adult worms and muscle larvae were used to treat airway inflammation before and after an ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitization/challenge in an OVA-induced asthma mouse model. The therapeutic effects were observed by measuring the level of inflammation in the lungs.

Results: The soluble products derived from T. spiralis parasites, especially from adult worms, were able to ameliorate OVA-induced airway inflammatory responses which were associated with reduced eosinophil infiltration, OVA-specific IgE, Th2 cytokine IL-4, and increased IL-10 and TGF-β. The stimulation of the Treg response may contribute to the alleviated allergic inflammation.

Conclusions: Trichinella spiralis worm extracts stimulate regulatory cytokines that are associated with reduced allergic airway inflammation. The identification of effective components in the adult worm extracts will be a crucial approach for developing a novel therapeutic for allergic and autoimmune diseases.

Keywords: Adult worm and larva extracts; Asthma; Immunomodulation; Trichinella spiralis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Regimen for mouse OVA sensitization and treatment
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Histopathological changes of pulmonary tissues of OVA-sensitized/challenged mice with treatment of Ts-AE or Ts-MLE in preventive or therapeutic regimens (×200) (a), and the improved inflammatory score of lung tissues with treatment of Ts-AE or Ts-MLE in preventive or therapeutic regimens (b) (n = 6 mice per group). *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Reduced eosinophil cell count in BALF from mice treated with Ts-AE or Ts-MLE. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM from two independent experiments (n = 6 mice per group). *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Treatment with Ts-AE and Ts-MLE reduced the OVA-specific IgE level in sera of mice upon OVA sensitization/challenge. The levels of OVA-specific IgE and total IgE were measured by ELISA in sera of OVA-sensitized mice treated with Ts-AE or Ts-MLE in preventive and therapeutic models. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM from two independent experiments (n = 6 mice per group). *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
The cytokine levels of IL-4 (a), IFN-γ (b), IL-10 (c) and TGF-β (d) were measured in BALF of OVA-sensitized mice upon the treatment of Ts-AE and Ts-MLE in preventive and therapeutic models. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM from two independent experiments (n = 6 mice per group). *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001
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