The effect of cysticercosis invasion on the protein metabolism and cellular immunity of rabbits

The composition of blood proteins depends on the functional state of animals, as well as on various pathologies. The goal of the work was to establish the effect of cysticercosis invasion on the protein metabolism and cellular immunity of rabbits. Rabbits were divided into two groups after visual identification of the larval cysts presence: healthy (control) and diseased (experimental). Biochemical blood tests were performed using reagent sets produced by “Filisit-Diagnostika” (Ukraine). Spontaneous cysticercosis invasion of male rabbits caused changes in protein metabolism. The content of total protein in infected animals was higher by 8.79% (P<0.05) than in control. The increase in the total protein content was due to the globulin fraction, which was 1.50 times (P<0.05) higher in affected animals than in healthy rabbits. This rise occurred as a result of a high content of γ-globulins, both in absolute value by 1.69 times (P<0.05), and in percentage by 1.51 times (P<0.05). The albumins, which are completely synthesized by liver, were lower by 10.08% (P<0.05) in rabbits with cysticercosis. The protein coefficient of experimental animals was lower by 43.89% (P<0.05) compared with the control. The concentration of uric acid in diseased rabbits was lower by 34.09% (P<0.05) than in healthy ones. We have observed a high number of T-, B-lymphocytes and T-helper cells, especially the last two indicators, which increased respectively 1.54 times (P<0.01) and 1.36 times (P<0.05) against the background of a low number of T-suppressors and O-lymphocytes — almost 5 times (P<0.001) in affected animals than in healthy rabbits. In our opinion, such changes in the proteinogram and cellular immunity indicate the intensification of immune reactions in the body of rabbits infected with the Cysticercus pisiformis as a result of inflammatory processes that occur in the liver under the action of a mechanical, toxic effect of the helminths.