Do antioxidants play a role in schistosome host-parasite interactions?
Schistosoma mansoni, an intravascular parasite, lives in a hostile environment in close contact with host humoral and cellular cytotoxic factors. To establish itself in the host, the schistosome has evolved a number of immune evasion mechanisms. Here, Philip LoVerde discusses evidence suggesting that antioxidant enzymes provide one such mechanism used by adult schistosomes. Antioxidant enzymes may thus represent a target for immune elimination of adult worms.
Loverde
P T
PT
Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA.