Experimental parasitology最新文献

{"title":"Effects of cardanol-based phospholipid analogs on Trichomonas vaginalis","authors":"Tatiana Guinancio de Souza ,&nbsp;Brenda de Lucena Costa ,&nbsp;Cleonice Andrade Holanda ,&nbsp;Luiz Antonio Soares Romeiro ,&nbsp;Wanderley de Souza ,&nbsp;Marlene Benchimol","doi":"10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108839","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108839","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><em>Trichomonas vaginalis</em> is a protist parasite of the urogenital tract, responsible for human trichomoniasis, an infection sexually transmitted that affects approximately 156 million people worldwide. This pathology is more evident in females and can cause miscarriages, premature births, and infertility. The disease can also lead to a greater predisposition to HIV infection and cervical and prostate cancer. Metronidazole (MTZ) is a drug that treats human trichomoniasis. The data from studies involving human subjects are limited regarding MTZ use during pregnancy. In addition to the toxicity of the treatment, some isolates have become resistant to MTZ. Therefore, searching for new compounds active for treating trichomoniasis becomes necessary. In the present study, we report results obtained using new phospholipid analogs. Two cardanol-based compounds designated LDT117 and LDT134 were active against <em>T. vaginalis</em> with an IC₅₀ of 4.58 and 10.24 μM, respectively. These compounds were not toxic to epithelial cells in culture. Scanning electron microscopy observations revealed a rounding of the cells, a shortening of the flagella, and protrusions on the surface of drug-treated cells. Transmission electron microscopy of treated cells revealed alterations in the plasma membrane with formations of blebs, protrusions, depressions, and vacuoles with myelin figures and vacuolization in the cytoplasm after incubation. Furthermore, after treatments with the compounds LDT117 and LDT134, the parasites presented a positive reaction for TUNEL, indicating death by a mechanism like apoptosis. Given the results obtained, further <em>in vivo</em> studies using animal experimental models are necessary to validate that these compounds are effective for treating human trichomoniasis.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12117,"journal":{"name":"Experimental parasitology","volume":"266 ","pages":"Article 108839"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142169290","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Imaging Giardia intestinalis cellular organisation using expansion microscopy reveals atypical centrin localisation","authors":"J. Soukup ,&nbsp;M. Zelená ,&nbsp;F. Weisz ,&nbsp;M. Kostelanská ,&nbsp;E. Nohýnková ,&nbsp;P. Tůmová","doi":"10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108831","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108831","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Advanced imaging of microorganisms, including protists, is challenging due to their small size. Specimen expansion prior to imaging is thus beneficial to increase resolution and cellular details. Here, we present a sample preparation workflow for improved observations of the single-celled eukaryotic pathogen <em>Giardia intestinalis</em> (Excavata, Metamonada). The binucleated trophozoites colonize the small intestine of humans and animals and cause a diarrhoeal disease. Their remarkable morphology includes two nuclei and a pronounced microtubular cytoskeleton enabling cell motility, attachment and proliferation. By use of expansion and confocal microscopy, we resolved in a great detail subcellular structures and organelles of the parasite cell. The acquired spatial resolution enabled novel observations of centrin localization at <em>Giardia</em> basal bodies. Interestingly, non-luminal centrin localization between the <em>Giardia</em> basal bodies was observed, which is an atypical eukaryotic arrangement. Our protocol includes antibody staining and can be used for the localization of epitope-tagged proteins, as well as for differential organelle labelling by amino reactive esters. This fast and simple technique is suitable for routine use without a superresolution microscopy equipment.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12117,"journal":{"name":"Experimental parasitology","volume":"266 ","pages":"Article 108831"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014489424001346/pdfft?md5=707dd25dc64bd200a45705c2b5c417d8&pid=1-s2.0-S0014489424001346-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142145461","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of muscular apoptotic changes and myogenin gene expression in experimental trichinosis after stem cells and atorvastatin added to ivermectin treatment","authors":"Zeinab R. Hassan ,&nbsp;Samar El-Sayed ,&nbsp;Kareman M. Zekry ,&nbsp;Samah G. Ahmed ,&nbsp;Asmaa Hassan Abd_Elhamid ,&nbsp;Doaa E.A. Salama ,&nbsp;Azza Kamal Taha ,&nbsp;Nihal A. Mahmoud ,&nbsp;Shaymaa Fathy Mohammed ,&nbsp;Mona M. Amin ,&nbsp;Rasha Elsayed Mohamed ,&nbsp;Ayat M.S. Eraque ,&nbsp;Shimaa A. Mohamed ,&nbsp;Ranya M. Abdelgalil ,&nbsp;Shimaa Attia Atta ,&nbsp;Nermeen Talaat Fahmy ,&nbsp;Mohamed S. Badr","doi":"10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108823","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108823","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Trichinosis is a common parasitic disease that affects the striated skeletal muscles, causing apoptotic and degenerative changes associated with myogenin expression in the affected myocytes. Hence, this study aimed to assess the ameliorative effects of stem cells and atorvastatin added to ivermectin on the infected myocytes during the muscular phase of murine trichinosis. 120 laboratory <em>Swiss albino</em> male mice were divided into 10 groups, and each group was subdivided into intestinal and muscular phases (each n = 6); uninfected control; untreated infected control; infected received ivermectin monotherapy; infected received atorvastatin monotherapy; infected received stem cells monotherapy; infected received ivermectin and atorvastatin dual therapy; infected received ivermectin and stem cells dual therapy; infected received atorvastatin and stem cells dual therapy; infected received ivermectin 0.2, atorvastatin 40, and stem cells triple therapy; and infected received ivermectin 0.1, atorvastatin 20, and stem cells triple therapy. Intestinal phase mice were sacrificed on the 5th day post-infection, while those of the muscular phase were sacrificed on the 35th day post-infection. Parasitological, histopathological, ultrastructural, histochemical, biochemical, and myogenin gene expression assessments were performed. The results revealed that mice that received ivermectin, atorvastatin, and stem cell triple therapies showed the maximum reduction in the adult worm and larvae burden, marked improvement in the underlying muscular degenerative changes (as was noticed by histopathological, ultrastructural, and histochemical Feulgen stain assessment), lower biochemical levels of serum NK-κB and tissue NO, and lower myogenin expression. Accordingly, the combination of stem cells, atorvastatin, and ivermectin affords a potential synergistic activity against trichinosis with considerable healing of the underlying degenerative sequel.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12117,"journal":{"name":"Experimental parasitology","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 108823"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142072352","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"MicroRNA-145 enhances lung cancer cell progression after exposure to lyophilized fertile hydatid cyst fluid of Echinococcus granulosus sensu stricto","authors":"Hosein Mosajakhah ,&nbsp;Dariush Shanehbandi ,&nbsp;Ehsan Ahmadpour ,&nbsp;Mahmoud Mahami-Oskouei ,&nbsp;Khadijeh Sadeghi ,&nbsp;Adel Spotin","doi":"10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108829","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108829","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>There is increasing evidence that the secretory/excretory antigens of the larval stage of <em>Echinococcus granulosus</em> can induce both anticancer and oncogenic effects between parasite-derived metabolites and various cancer cells. The dual role of miR-145 as either a tumor suppressor or oncogene has already been reported in cancer. However, the mechanism by which miR-145 induces apoptosis in lung cancer cells treated with hydatid cyst fluid (HCF) remains unclear. The fertile HCF was obtained from sheep, purified and lyophilized. H1299 human lung cancer cells were then cultured into two groups: HCF-treated H1299 lung cancer cells and untreated H1299 cancer cells as control cells. Cell viability was assessed using MTT assay to evaluate the effects of HCF on the H1299 cells. Caspase-3 activity was assessed by fluorometric assay. In addition, mRNA expression levels of VGEF, vimentin, caspase-3, miRNA-145, Bax and Bcl-2 genes were quantified by real-time PCR. A scratch test was also performed to assess the effects of HCF on cell migration. The MTT assay revealed that the growth of H1299 cells increased when treated with 60 μg/mL of fertile HCF for 24 h. The fold change of caspase-3, miRNA-145, Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and caspase-3 activity was lower in HCF-treated H1299 cells compared to the control cell. The fold change in VGEF and vimentin gene expression was higher in the HCF-treated H1299 cells than in the control cell. The scratch test results showed that H1299 cell mobility increased 24 and 48 h after exposure to HCF. Our results suggest that the downregulation of miR-145 in HCF-treated H1299 cells may play a role as a possible oncogenic regulator of lung cancer growth. To confirm this assumption, further studies are required to evaluate the microRNA profile and effective oncogenes <em>in vivo</em>.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12117,"journal":{"name":"Experimental parasitology","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 108829"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142040131","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii can be vertically transmitted in Hyalomma anatolicum","authors":"Tingxiang Luo ,&nbsp;Ercha Hu ,&nbsp;Lu Gan ,&nbsp;Depeng Yang ,&nbsp;Jun Wu ,&nbsp;Shenghong Gao ,&nbsp;Xiaoli Tuo ,&nbsp;chahan Gailike Bayin ,&nbsp;Zhengxiang Hu ,&nbsp;Qingyong Guo","doi":"10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108828","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108828","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this study, a tick intracellular symbiont, <em>Candidatus</em> Midichloria mitochondrii, was detected in <em>Hyalomma anatolicum</em> from Xinjiang, China. Morphological identification and cytochrome oxidase subunit I sequence alignment were used for molecular identification of the tick species. PCR detection further revealed the presence of endosymbiont <em>C</em>. M. mitochondrii in the tick. Specific primers were designed for <em>Groel</em> and 16S rRNA genes of <em>C</em>. M. mitochondrii for PCR amplification and phylogenetic analysis. To further investigate the vertical transmission characteristics of <em>C</em>. M. mitochondrii, specific primers were designed based on the <em>Fab</em>Ⅰ gene fragment to detect <em>C</em>. M. mitochondrii in different developmental stages and organs of the tick using qPCR. Of the 336 tick specimens collected from the field, 266 samples were identified as <em>H. anatolicum</em> on the basis of morphological characteristics. The gene fragment alignment results of <em>CO</em>I confirmed that these ticks were <em>H. anatolicum</em>. The phylogenetic analysis showed that <em>Groel</em> gene of <em>C</em>. M. mitochondrii clustered with <em>Midichloria</em> strains detected in <em>Ixodes ricinus</em> ticks from Italy and <em>Ixodes holocyclus</em> ticks from Australia, with 100% sequence similarity. Furthermore, the 16S rRNA gene of <em>C</em>. M. mitochondrii clusters with the strains isolated from <em>Hyalomma rufipes</em> ticks in Italy, exhibiting the highest degree of homology. qPCR results showed that <em>C</em>. M. mitochondrii was present at all developmental stages of <em>H. anatolicum</em>, with the highest relative abundance in eggs, and lower relative abundance in nymphs and unfed males. With female tick blood feeding, the relative abundance of <em>C</em>. M. mitochondrii increased, and a particularly high relative abundance was detected in the ovaries of engorged female ticks. This study provides information for studying the survival adaptability of <em>H. anatolicum</em>, and provides data for further investigation of the mechanisms regulating tick endosymbionts in ticks, enriching the reference materials for comprehensive prevention and control of tick-borne diseases.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12117,"journal":{"name":"Experimental parasitology","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 108828"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142003958","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The nexus between Leishmania & HIV: Debilitating host immunity and Hastening Comorbid disease burden","authors":"Manasvi Dhulipalla,&nbsp;Garima Chouhan","doi":"10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108826","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108826","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The scintillating association between <em>Leishmania</em> and HIV has contributed exceptionally towards expansion of Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). The co-infection poses a grievous threat to elimination of VL and containment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). When coinfected, <em>Leishmania</em> and HIV complement each other's proliferation and survival by inducing immunesenescence, T cell fatigue and exhaustion. Antigen presentation is lost, co-stimulatory molecules are diminished whereas co-inhibitory molecules such as CTLA-4, TIGIT, LAG-3 etc. are upregulated to ensure a Th2-baised immune environment. As a consequence, <em>Leishmania-</em>HIV coinfection causes poor outcomes, inflates the spread of <em>Leishmania</em> parasites, enhances the severity of side-effects to drugs, as well as escalate the probability of treatment failure and mortality. What makes control extremely strenuous is that there are frequent episodes of VL relapse with no prognostic markers, no standard immunophenotype(s) and appearance of atypical clinical symptoms. Thus, a standard therapeutic regimen has been difficult to develop and treatment is majorly dependent upon a combination of liposomal Amphotericin B and Miltefosine, a therapy that is expensive and capable of causing drastic side-effects in recipients. As World Health Organization is committed to eliminate both VL and HIV in due course of future, the existing therapeutic interventions require advancements to grapple and overcome this hazardous co-infection. In this context, an overview of HIV-VL co-infection, immunopathology of HIV and <em>Leishmania</em> co-inhabitance<em>,</em> available therapeutic options and their limitations in the treatment of co-infection are discussed in-depth.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12117,"journal":{"name":"Experimental parasitology","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 108826"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141987708","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Anti-Acanthamoebic effects of silver-conjugated tetrazole nanoparticle","authors":"Areeba Anwar ,&nbsp;Itrat Fatima ,&nbsp;Khalid Mohammed Khan ,&nbsp;Meshal Daalah ,&nbsp;Bader S. Alawfi ,&nbsp;Naveed Ahmed Khan ,&nbsp;Ayaz Anwar","doi":"10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108827","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108827","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Tetrazoles are five-membered ring aromatic heterocyclic molecules that consist of one carbon and four nitrogen atoms. Several tetrazole-based drugs have shown promising activities against bacteria, fungi, asthma, cancer, hypertension etc. The overall aim of this study was to determine anti-Acanthamoebic properties of tetrazoles and tetrazole-conjugated silver nanoparticles. Tetrazole-conjugated silver nanoparticles were synthesized and confirmed using ultraviolet–visible spectrometry, Dynamic light scattering, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Using amoebicidal, encystment, and excystment assays, the findings revealed that tetrazoles exhibited antiamoebic properties and these effects were enhanced when conjugated with silver nanoparticles. Importantly, conjugation with silver nanoparticles inhibited parasite-mediated human cell death <em>in vitro</em>, as measured by lactate dehydrogenase release, but it reduced toxic effects of drugs alone on human cells. Overall, these results showed clearly that tetrazoles exhibit potent antiamoebic properties which can be enhanced by conjugation with silver nanoparticles and these potential in the rational development of therapeutic interventions against parasitic infections such as keratitis and granulomatous amoebic encephalitis due to pathogenic <em>Acanthamoeba</em>.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12117,"journal":{"name":"Experimental parasitology","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 108827"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141987707","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of gastrointestinal inoculation and benznidazole treatment on infection by Trypanosoma cruzi (Y strain, DTU TcII) in Swiss mice","authors":"Hevillyn Fernanda Lucas da Silva ,&nbsp;Marcella Paula Mansano Sarto ,&nbsp;Ana Paula de Abreu ,&nbsp;Nilma de Souza Fernandes ,&nbsp;Ingrid Giarola Matias dos Santos ,&nbsp;João Vitor de Souza Trovo ,&nbsp;Aline Francieli da Silva ,&nbsp;Alice Maria Souza-Kaneshima ,&nbsp;Jurandir Fernando Comar ,&nbsp;Max Jean de Ornelas Toledo","doi":"10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108810","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108810","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In Brazil, where Chagas disease is endemic, the most frequent form of transmission of the parasite is the oral route, associated with greater severity and worse response to benznidazole (BZ), the drug used in its treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of gastrointestinal infection (GI) and BZ treatment on the parasitological and histopathological parameters in mice inoculated with a strain of <em>T. cruzi</em> II. Swiss mice were inoculated by GI and intraperitoneal (IP) routes with 2x10⁶ culture-derived metacyclic trypomastigotes of the Y strain (TcII) of <em>T. cruzi</em> and were treated with BZ in the acute phase of the infection. Fresh blood examination, qPCR, histopathological and biochemical evaluations (enzymatic dosages and oxidative stress-OS) were performed. BZ treatment of uninfected animals caused changes in the liver, increased the activity of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase enzymes and OS, showing that the drug alone affects this organ. Inflammation and necrosis in the cardiac tissue were less intense and deaths occurred later in animals inoculated via the GI route than the animals inoculated via the IP route. BZ reduced the intensity of tissue lesions and avoided lethality in animals inoculated via the GI route, and decreased parasitemia and OS in those inoculated via both routes. Although BZ alone caused liver damage, it was less intense than that caused by both routes of inoculation. Infection with the Y strain of <em>T. cruzi</em> II via the GI route proved to be less virulent and pathogenic and responded better to treatment than the infection acquired via the IP route.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12117,"journal":{"name":"Experimental parasitology","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 108810"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141970923","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Survival and growth of M. perstans larvae in a human colon carcinoma cell line-based in vitro culture","authors":"Narcisse Victor Tchamatchoua Gandjui ,&nbsp;Fanny Fri Fombad ,&nbsp;Chi Anizette Kien ,&nbsp;Rene Ebai ,&nbsp;Frederick Esofi ,&nbsp;Anna Ning Ntuh ,&nbsp;Emmanuel Ouam ,&nbsp;Valerine Chawa Chunda ,&nbsp;Relindis Ekanya ,&nbsp;Franck Noel Nietcho ,&nbsp;Juluis Visnel Foyet ,&nbsp;Lucy Cho Nchang ,&nbsp;Chefor Magha ,&nbsp;Abdel Jelil Njouendou ,&nbsp;Peter Enyong ,&nbsp;Achim Hoerauf ,&nbsp;Samuel Wanji ,&nbsp;Manuel Ritter","doi":"10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108822","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108822","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><em>Mansonella perstans</em> infections are widespread in Sub-Saharan Africa and Central and South America and thus can be considered as the most prevalent parasite of man in tropical Africa. In contrast to the high prevalence, knowledge about the biology of this filarial nematode is restricted and no effective treatment regimens of this ivermectin-resistant parasite is lacking. An obstacle for the research is that <em>M. perstans</em> resides in body cavities and thus have been only rarely recovered during surgery or autopsy. Therefore, alternative methods like <em>in vitro</em> culture systems need to be implemented to decipher the nature of mansonellosis and effective drugs. Previously, we have established a monkey kidney epithelial cell-based <em>in vitro</em> culture for the maintenance of <em>M. perstans</em> infective larvae (L3) up to 77 days. However, no alternative for this culture system have been postulated to allow longer survival rates and development of adult worms <em>in vitro</em>. Thus, we aim to establish an alternative <em>in vitro</em> culture system for <em>M. perstans</em> L3. <em>M. perstans</em> L3 were isolated from engorged and laboratory reared <em>Culicoides</em> midges. The larvae were then cultured in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium supplemented with either 10% foetal bovine serum (FBS), 10% newborn calf serum (NCS) or 1% bovine serum albumin (BSA) together with human colon carcinoma cells (HCT-8) as feeder cells. Survival and growth were recorded. We obtained that the 10% NCS culture condition was superior allowing long-term maintenance of <em>M. perstans</em> L3 for up to 100 days and boosted growth of the parasites for up to 5-folds compared to the initial size at culture inception. Although no moulting of the L3 into L4 or adult worms could be overserved, the human colon carcinoma cell-based <em>in vitro</em> culture provides an alternative platform to analyse <em>M. perstans</em> biology and screen for novel drugs against <em>M. perstans</em>.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12117,"journal":{"name":"Experimental parasitology","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 108822"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014489424001255/pdfft?md5=dd9d2bd8abbf397458a5a20fe668d4dc&pid=1-s2.0-S0014489424001255-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141912359","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Contrasting alterations in brain chemistry in a crustacean intermediate host of two acanthocephalan parasites","authors":"Marie-Jeanne Perrot-Minnot ,&nbsp;Sandrine Parrot","doi":"10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108821","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108821","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The dynamic properties of neural systems throughout life can be hijacked by so-called manipulative parasites. This study investigated changes in the brain chemistry of the amphipod <em>Gammarus fossarum</em> in response to infection with two trophically-transmitted helminth parasites known to induce distinct behavioral alterations: the bird acanthocephalan <em>Polymorphus minutus</em> and the fish acanthocephalan <em>Pomphorhynchus tereticollis</em>. We quantified brain antioxidant capacity as a common marker of homeostasis and neuroprotection, and brain total protein, on 72 pools of six brains. We analyzed the concentration of serotonin (5HT), dopamine (DA) and tyramine in 52 pools of six brains, by using ultrafast high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (UHPLC-ECD). Brain total protein concentration scaled hypo-allometrically to dry body weight, and was increased in infected gammarids compared to uninfected ones. The brain of gammarids infected with <em>P. minutus</em> had significantly lower total antioxidant capacity relative to total proteins. Infection with <em>P. tereticollis</em> impacted DA level compared to uninfected ones, and in opposite direction between spring and summer. Brain 5HT level was higher in summer compared to spring independently of infection status, and was decreased by infection after correcting for brain total protein concentration estimated from dry whole-body weight. The potential implication of 5HT/DA balance in parasite manipulation, as a major modulator of the reward-punishment axis, is discussed. Taken together, these findings highlight the need to consider both brain homeostatic and/or structural changes (antioxidant and total protein content) together with neurotransmission balance and flexibility, in studies investigating the impact of parasites on brain and behavior.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12117,"journal":{"name":"Experimental parasitology","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 108821"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014489424001243/pdfft?md5=933b504a69a277584eedd7c3da38bca4&pid=1-s2.0-S0014489424001243-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141916483","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}