Premium
Anti‐interleukin‐4 treatment diminishes secretion of Th2 cytokines and inhibits hepatic fibrosis in murine schistosomiasis japonica
Author(s) -
CHEEVER ALLEN W.,
FINKELMAN FRED D.,
COX TERESA M.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
parasite immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.795
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1365-3024
pISSN - 0141-9838
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3024.1995.tb00972.x
Subject(s) - schistosoma japonicum , biology , schistosomiasis , schistosomiasis japonica , cytokine , secretion , immunology , spleen , hepatic fibrosis , interleukin 10 , interleukin 4 , fibrosis , schistosoma , interleukin , helminthiasis , medicine , endocrinology , schistosoma mansoni , helminths
Summary Anti‐interleukin‐4 (IL‐4) treatment o/“Schistosoma japo‐nicum‐infected mice markedly inhibited in vitro secretion of the Th2 cytokines IL‐4 and IL‐5 from antigen‐stimulated spleen cells, but enhanced the secretion of the Th1 cytokine IFN‐γ. IL‐2 secretion was unaffected. Hepatic fibrosis was markedly diminished in anti‐IL‐4‐treated‐mice at ten weeks of infection while granulomas around S. japonicum eggs in the livers were slightly‐to‐moderately increased in size. The number of eggs per worm pair in the tissues and feces did not differ significantly in treated and untreated mice. These findings suggest that Th2 cytokine responses are important in the genesis of schistosomal hepatic fibrosis.