title: Effect of Angiostrongylus costaricensis extract on eosinophilic pulmonary response in BALB/c mice.
abstract: Epidemiological and experimental studies have demonstrated an association between parasitic infections and the allergic diseases. A protective effect in asthma was shown in animals infected with helminths. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of Angiostrongylus costaricensis extract on inflammatory lung response to ovalbumin (OVA) in mice. Four BALB/c mice received A. costaricensis extract by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection on the first day. Mice were immunised against OVA by i.p. injection on day (D) 5 and D12 and received a daily intranasal OVA challenge (40 microl) between the D19 and D21. On D23, we performed a bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) on the mice. Four BALB/c mice (control group) were immunised against OVA using the same protocol, but did not receive parasite extract. Total cell counts (TCC) and differential cell counts were performed in BAL fluid samples. Eosinophil cell counts in BAL fluid were lower in the group that received A. costaricensis extract when compared with the control group (0.04 x 10(6) cells/ml and 0.01 x 10(6) cells/ml, respectively; p=0.04). TCC were not different between the groups studied. A. costaricensis extract in mice decreases eosinophilic response to OVA in BAL fluid.
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Research Institute, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil. leonardo.auraujo-pinto@med.uni-muenchen.de
authors.forename: Leonardo A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: Ana Christina O
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.forename: Bruna L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Rymer
authors.forename: Fabíola F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: Gustavo L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Barbosa
authors.forename: Denise C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.forename: Marcus H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Carlos G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.forename: Renato T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: Paulo M C
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Pitrez
mesh_terms: D000801:Angiostrongylus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008168:Lung / Q000166:cytology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000276:immunology; D011657:Pulmonary Eosinophilia / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D014020:Tissue Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D000947:Antigens, Helminth; D014020:Tissue Extracts; D010047:Ovalbumin