The combined treatment of praziquantel with osteopontin immunoneutralization reduces liver damage in Schistosoma japonicum-infected mice

Parasitology. 2012 Apr;139(4):522-9. doi: 10.1017/S0031182011002241. Epub 2012 Feb 6.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of osteopontin neutralization treatment on schistosome-induced liver injury in BALB/C mice. We randomly divided 100 BALB/C mice into groups A, B, C, D and group E. Mice in all groups except group A were abdominally infected with schistosomal cercariae to induce a schistosomal hepatopathological model. Mice in group C, D and group E were respectively administered with praziquantel, praziquantel plus colchicine and praziquantel plus neutralizing osteopontin antibody. We extracted mouse liver tissues at 3 and 9 weeks after the 'stool-eggs-positive' day, observed liver histopathological changes by haematoxylin-eosin and Masson trichrome staining and detected the expression of osteopontin, alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β1) by immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR and Western blot. We found that praziquantel plus neutralizing osteopontin antibody treatment significantly decreased the granuloma dimension, the percentage of collagen and the expression of osteopontin, α-SMA and TGF-β1 compared to praziquantel plus colchicine treatment in both the acute and chronic stage of schistosomal liver damage (P<0·05). So we believe that the combined regimen of osteopontin immunoneutralization and anti-helminthic treatment can reduce the granulomatous response and liver fibrosis during the schistosomal hepatopathologic course.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Neutralizing / immunology
  • Antibodies, Neutralizing / therapeutic use*
  • Arteriosclerosis
  • Drug Therapy, Combination
  • Female
  • Granuloma / drug therapy
  • Granuloma / metabolism
  • Granuloma / pathology
  • Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes
  • Liver / drug effects
  • Liver / parasitology
  • Liver / pathology
  • Liver Cirrhosis / drug therapy*
  • Liver Cirrhosis / immunology
  • Liver Cirrhosis / metabolism
  • Liver Cirrhosis / pathology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Nephrotic Syndrome
  • Osteochondrodysplasias
  • Osteopontin / immunology*
  • Osteopontin / metabolism
  • Praziquantel / pharmacology
  • Praziquantel / therapeutic use*
  • Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases
  • Pulmonary Embolism
  • Schistosoma japonicum / drug effects*
  • Schistosoma japonicum / pathogenicity
  • Schistosomiasis japonica / drug therapy*
  • Schistosomiasis japonica / immunology
  • Schistosomiasis japonica / metabolism
  • Schistosomiasis japonica / parasitology
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / metabolism
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Antibodies, Neutralizing
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta1
  • Osteopontin
  • Praziquantel

Supplementary concepts

  • Schimke immunoosseous dysplasia