Abstract
BackgroundEpidemiological studies in China have revealed that Schistosoma japonicum infection is inversely correlated with metabolic syndrome, even after repeated chemotherapy with praziquantel (PZQ). We investigated the effect of chronic S. japonicum infection, PZQ chemotherapy, and soluble egg antigen (SEA) treatment on whole-body metabolic homeostasis and hepatic insulin sensitivity in mouse models.ResultsInfection with S. japonicum was found to increase whole-body and hepatic insulin sensitivity in mice. PZQ chemotherapy significantly improved the physiological status of infected mice, maintaining Th2 immune-deviation and enhancing hepatic insulin sensitivity. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed positive correlations between anti-inflammatory cytokine expression and insulin signalling-related genes in the liver, as demonstrated by an in vitro stimulated hepatic cell line with IL-13 and IL-22. SEA treatment also improved the glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in Leprdb/db mice.ConclusionsThis study indicated that chronic S. japonicum infection with PZQ chemotherapy and SEA treatment can regulate metabolic homeostasis and protect against metabolic syndrome by promoting Th2 and regulatory responses in the liver.
Highlights
Epidemiological studies in China have revealed that Schistosoma japonicum infection is inversely correlated with metabolic syndrome, even after repeated chemotherapy with praziquantel (PZQ)
PZQ treatment significantly improved physiological status of infected mice with S. japonicum To study the effect of chronic S. japonicum infection and PZQ treatment on whole-body physiological homeostasis, we detected body weight, food intake and water intake weekly starting at 6 weeks post-infection
Combined with the reductions in fasting serum insulin concentrations and homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in soluble egg antigen (SEA)-treated mice, in SEAtreated Leprdb/db mice (Fig. 5f, g), these results suggest that parasite egg-derived molecules improve whole-body glucose tolerance and insulin resistance and coordinate metabolic homeostasis
Summary
Epidemiological studies in China have revealed that Schistosoma japonicum infection is inversely correlated with metabolic syndrome, even after repeated chemotherapy with praziquantel (PZQ). A report from the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study (CURES) in India showed that patients with type 2 diabetes had a lower prevalence of lymphatic filariasis than did non-diabetic and prediabetic subjects, suggesting that the decreased filarial infection potentially had an unexpected adverse impact on diabetes prevalence. Filarial-positive diabetic subjects had lower levels of pro-inflammatory markers (TNF-α, IL-6 and GM-CSF) than did those who were filarial-negative [7]. These findings suggest that helminth infections play critical roles in protecting against some autoimmune and metabolic disorders
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