Abstract
Parasitic helminths infect billions of people, livestock, and companion animals worldwide. Recently, they have been explored as a novel therapeutic modality to treat autoimmune diseases due to their potent immunoregulatory properties. While feeding in the gut/organs/tissues, the parasitic helminths actively release excretory-secretory products (ESP) to modify their environment and promote their survival. The ESP proteins of helminths have been widely studied. However, there are only limited studies characterizing the non-protein small molecule (SM) components of helminth ESP. In this study, using GC-MS and LC-MS, we have investigated the SM ESP of tapeworm Dipylidium caninum (isolated from dogs) which accidentally infects humans via ingestion of infected cat and dog fleas that harbor the larval stage of the parasite. From this D. caninum ESP, we have identified a total of 49 SM (35 polar metabolites and 14 fatty acids) belonging to 12 different chemotaxonomic groups including amino acids, amino sugars, amino acid lactams, organic acids, sugars, sugar alcohols, sugar phosphates, glycerophosphates, phosphate esters, disaccharides, fatty acids, and fatty acid derivatives. Succinic acid was the major small molecule present in the D. caninum ESP. Based on the literature and databases searches, we found that of 49 metabolites identified, only 12 possessed known bioactivities.
Highlights
Tapeworms are platyhelminth parasites that cause devastating diseases in both humans and livestock, such as neurocysticercosis and hydatid disease [1]
The excretory-secretory products (ESP) of D. caninum was fractionated to obtain a biphasic partition of the solution: upper aqueous phase and lower organic phase, which were derivatized and analyzed for polar and non-polar metabolites using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS)
We have shown that D. caninum excrete/secrete as many as 35 known polar metabolites and 14 fatty acids, and that GC-MS and LC-MS can be used to profile the metabolite complement of tapeworm
Summary
Tapeworms are platyhelminth parasites that cause devastating diseases in both humans and livestock, such as neurocysticercosis and hydatid disease [1]. Human infections with tapeworms occur when people eat raw or undercooked infected beef and pork or by ingesting tapeworm eggs. Humans occasionally get infected with the dog/cat flea tapeworm, Dipylidium caninum, by ingesting the cysticercoid stage which is found in dog or cat fleas (Ctenocephalides spp.) [2]. The method of transmission to humans is usually a result of close contact between children and their infected pets. In the small intestine of the vertebrate host the cysticercoid develops into the adult tapeworm which reaches maturity about one month after infection. The adult tapeworms measure up to 60 cm in length and resides in the small intestine where they attach to the gut wall using their scolex
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