title: A quantitative assay to detect circulating fibrosin and its application in experimental schistosomiasis.
abstract: The molecular pathogenesis of schistosomal liver fibrosis has been studied in a murine model of Schistosoma mansoni. A novel fibroblast growth factor, fibrosin, was identified as a product of a subpopulation of CD4+ lymphocytes resident in the hepatic egg granulomas. We describe a sensitive, quantitative, antigen-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay that can detect fibrosin in mouse serum and plasma at concentrations > 0.05 pg/ml. Using this assay, we detected in infected mice circulating fibrosin levels that were several-fold increased above those detected in uninfected controls. Circulating fibrosin levels increased after week 4 of infection, reached a peak at week 8, and normalized by week 12. We propose that circulating fibrosin might be a useful marker of hepatic fibrogenesis in schistosomiasis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases, New England Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Wyler
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Talebian
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000276:immunology; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002846:Chromatography, Affinity; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006825:Hybridomas; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000209:etiology*; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D012555:Schistosomiasis mansoni / Q000150:complications*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D008222:Lymphokines; C092591:fibrosin