The impact of l-arginine supplementation on the enteral phase of experimental Trichinella spiralis infection in treated and untreated mice

Hanaa O Fadl; Noha M Amin; Hanaa Wanas; Shimaa Saad El-Din; Heba A Ibrahim; Basma Emad Aboulhoda; Nardeen Zakka Bocktor

doi:10.1007/s12639-020-01245-1

The impact of l-arginine supplementation on the enteral phase of experimental Trichinella spiralis infection in treated and untreated mice

J Parasit Dis. 2020 Dec;44(4):737-747. doi: 10.1007/s12639-020-01245-1. Epub 2020 Jul 25.

Authors

Hanaa O Fadl¹, Noha M Amin¹, Hanaa Wanas^{2

3}, Shimaa Saad El-Din⁴, Heba A Ibrahim⁵, Basma Emad Aboulhoda⁶, Nardeen Zakka Bocktor¹

Affiliations

¹ Medical Parasitology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
² Pharmacology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
³ Pharmacology and Toxicology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Taibah University, Medina, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
⁵ Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
⁶ Anatomy and Embryology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.

Abstract

The role of nitric oxide (NO) in the immunopathological response during Trichinella spiralis (T. spiralis) infection remains controversial. The amino acid, l-arginine is a NO precursor commonly used by athletes and bodybuilders as a protein supplement. As to our knowledge, there are no published studies which have tested the effect of l-arginine on the intestinal phase of experimental trichinellosis. The present work aims to investigate the effect of l-arginine on the enteral phase of experimental T. spiralis infection in albendazole-treated and untreated mice. Forty BALB/C mice infected orally with T. spiralis larvae were divided into 4 groups as follows: Group A were infected and untreated (control) mice, Group B received albendazole alone, Group C received l-arginine alone, and Group D received both l-arginine and albendazole. Compared to the control group, l-arginine supplementation showed; a significant increase in the intestinal adult worm burden, a significantly high inducible NO synthase (iNOS) expression, elevated immune markers; tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and enhanced apoptosis. Albendazole treated-group had a significant reduction in the adult worm number (90.9%), while combined albendazole-arginine regimen showed a lower percentage of worm reduction (72.7%). During the enteral phase of T. spiralis infection, l-arginine supplementation should be taken cautiously, as it may modulate the proinflammatory immune response and subsequently affect the outcome of the infection and/or treatment.

Keywords: Apoptosis; IFN-γ; TNF-α; Trichinella spiralis; iNOS; l-arginine.