Elevation of plasminogen activators in cerebrospinal fluid of mice with eosinophilic meningitis caused by Angiostrongylus cantonensis.
A hallmark of parasitic meningitis is the infiltration of eosinophils into the subarachnoid space. Infection with Angiostrongylus cantonensis in mice induced proteinase activity in parallel with the pathological changes of eosinophilic meningitis. Zymogram analysis demonstrated that 70 and 55 kDa proteinases from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were active against the casein/plasminogen substrate. The proteinase activities were clearly inhibited by phenylmethanesulphonyl fluoride but not by ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid, 1,10-phenanthroline or leupeptin. Western blotting confirmed these enzymes to be tissue-type plasminogen activator and urokinase-type plasminogen activator, respectively. High activities of tissue-type plasminogen activator and urokinase-type plasminogen activator were detected in the CSF of mice with eosinophilic meningitis, and correlated positively with CSF eosinophil numbers and total protein, respectively. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that tissue-type plasminogen activator and urokinase-type plasminogen activator localised in the endothelial cells of blood vessels, in blood clots and in infiltrated leukocytes. These results suggest that tissue-type plasminogen activator and urokinase-type plasminogen activator may be play a role in the pathogenesis of eosinophilic meningitis of angiostrongyliasis.
Hou
Roger F
RF
Department of Entomology, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan, ROC.
Tu
Wu-Chun
WC
Lee
Hsiu-Hsiung
HH
Chen
Ke-Min
KM
Chou
Hui-Lin
HL
Lai
Shih-Chan
SC
D017185:Angiostrongylus cantonensis; D000818:Animals; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier; D015153:Blotting, Western / Q000379:methods; D020809:Central Nervous System Helminthiasis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000469:parasitology; D004802:Eosinophilia; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D007814:Larva; D008297:Male; D008581:Meningitis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000235:genetics; D010960:Plasminogen Activators / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000235:genetics; D011897:Random Allocation; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017206:Strongylida Infections / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000473:pathology; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000235:genetics; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000235:genetics
D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1; D010960:Plasminogen Activators; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator