title: The mechanisms behind helminth's immunomodulation in autoimmunity.
abstract: The incidence of autoimmune diseases has risen throughout the last half a century, mostly in the industrialized world. Helminths and their derivatives were found to have a protective role in autoimmunity and inflammatory conditions, as they manipulate the immune network, attenuating the host's cellular and humoral responses. Indeed, various helminth species used in several human and animal models were shown to limit inflammatory activity in a variety of diseases including inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis. Our review will focus on the main mechanisms by which helminths and their secreted molecules modulate the host's immune system. The main pathways induce a shift from Th1 to Th2 phenotype, accelerate T regulatory and B regulatory phenotypes, and attenuate the levels of the inflammatory cytokines, leading to a tolerable scenario.
authors.affiliation: The Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, affiliated to Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Tomer
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bashi
authors.affiliation: The Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, affiliated to Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Giorgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bizzaro
authors.affiliation: The Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, affiliated to Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel; Department of Gastroenterology, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, affiliated to Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ben-Ami Shor
authors.affiliation: The Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, affiliated to Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Miri
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blank
authors.affiliation: The Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, affiliated to Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel; Incumbent of the Laura Schwarz-Kip Chair for Research of Autoimmune Diseases, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. Electronic address: shoenfeld@post.tau.ac.il.
authors.forename: Yehuda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shoenfeld
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D015551:Autoimmunity; D006376:Helminths / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D056747:Immunomodulation; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology
keywords: Autoimmune diseases; Cytokines; Helminths; Immune system; Inflammation; Mechanisms