title: Sex steroids effects on the molting process of the helminth human parasite Trichinella spiralis.
abstract: We evaluated the in vitro effects of estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone on the molting process, which is the initial and crucial step in the development of the muscular larvae (ML or L1) to adult worm. Testosterone had no significative effect on the molting rate of the parasite, however, progesterone decreased the molting rate about a 50% in a concentration- and time-independent pattern, while estradiol had a slight effect (10%). The gene expression of caveolin-1, a specific gene used as a marker of parasite development, showed that progesterone and estradiol downregulated its expression, while protein expression was unaffected. By using flow citometry, a possible protein that is recognized by a commercial antiprogesterone receptor antibody was detected. These findings may have strong implications in the host-parasite coevolution, in the sex-associated susceptibility to this infection and could point out to possibilities to use antihormones to inhibit parasite development.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Inmunología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 México, DF, Mexico.
authors.forename: Romel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hernández-Bello
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ramirez-Nieto
authors.forename: Saé
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Muñiz-Hernández
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nava-Castro
authors.forename: Lenin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pavón
authors.forename: Ana Gabriela
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Acosta
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morales-Montor
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051242:Caveolin 1 / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D004958:Estradiol / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006373:Helminthiasis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000469:parasitology*; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D018978:Molting / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D017160:Trichinella spiralis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*
chemical_list: D051242:Caveolin 1; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; D013739:Testosterone; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol