Blockade of caspases inhibits amebic liver abscess formation in a mouse model of disease.
We looked at the effect of inhibiting caspases on amebic liver abscess in the mouse model of infection. A dose of the pan-caspase inhibitor benzyloxycarbonyl-V-A-D-O-methyl fluoromethyl ketone (Z-VAD-FMK; R & D Systems) given to SCID mice 2 h prior to direct hepatic inoculation with Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites, and 12 h after amebic inoculation, reduced the mean liver abscess size by 70% at 24 h compared to a control group. These data indicate that apoptosis plays a significant but not an exclusive role in amebic liver abscess formation in the mouse model.
Yan
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Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.
Stanley
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SL
D000590:Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D005260:Female; D008101:Liver Abscess, Amebic / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D016513:Mice, SCID
D000590:Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; C096713:benzyloxycarbonylvalyl-alanyl-aspartyl fluoromethyl ketone