Schistosome infection promotes osteoclast-mediated bone loss

PLoS Pathog. 2021 Mar 18;17(3):e1009462. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009462. eCollection 2021 Mar.

Abstract

Infection with schistosome results in immunological changes that might influence the skeletal system by inducing immunological states affecting bone metabolism. We investigated the relationships between chronic schistosome infection and bone metabolism by using a mouse model of chronic schistosomiasis, affecting millions of humans worldwide. Results showed that schistosome infection resulted in aberrant osteoclast-mediated bone loss, which was accompanied with an increased level of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) Ligand (RANKL) and decreased level of osteoprotegerin (OPG). The blockade of RANKL by the anti-RANKL antibody could prevent bone loss in the context of schistosome infection. Meanwhile, both B cells and CD4+ T cells, particularly follicular helper T (Tfh) cell subset, were the important cellular sources of RANKL during schistosome infection. These results highlight the risk of bone loss in schistosome-infected patients and the potential benefit of coupling bone therapy with anti-schistosome treatment.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • B-Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • Bone Resorption / metabolism*
  • Bone Resorption / pathology*
  • Mice
  • RANK Ligand / metabolism*
  • Schistosoma japonicum
  • Schistosomiasis japonica / complications*
  • T Follicular Helper Cells / metabolism

Substances

  • RANK Ligand
  • Tnfsf11 protein, mouse

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the grants from the National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2018YFA0507302) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81871675 and No. 81430052) to CS, the grants from National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81871676) and the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (No. BK20190082) to XC, and the grant from Nanjing Medical University (No. NMUB2018323) to WL. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.