Does the neuropeptide somatostatin have therapeutic potential against schistosomiasis?
The neuropeptide hormone somatostatin is used to treat bleeding oesophageal varices and to reduce portal pressure, and can prevent progression to severe fibrosis in chronic liver disease. We believe that somatostatin can also have therapeutic potential against schistosomiasis, based on recent observations that severe morbidity symptoms are associated with low levels of host somatostatin in patients infected with Schistosoma mansoni. The administration of exogenous doses of this neuropeptide could therefore alleviate the pathology caused by schistosomiasis.
Chatterjee
Shyama
S
Pathology Unit, Dept of Medicine, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium. shyama@uia.ua.ac.be
Mbaye
Amadou
A
De Man
Joris G
JG
Van Marck
Eric A E
EA
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012547:Schistosoma / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D012552:Schistosomiasis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D013004:Somatostatin