Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan; Institute of Medical Sciences, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan.
Department of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, College of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Hualien Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Hualien, Taiwan.
Parasitol Int. 2021 Feb;80:102231. doi: 10.1016/j.parint.2020.102231. Epub 2020 Nov 2.
Angiostrongylus cantonensis is one of the most widespread parasites causing central nervous system (CNS) diseases in mammals. Since the mitochondrion is an essential cell organelle responsible for both physiological and pathological processes, its dysfunction might lead to inflammation and multiple disorders. In this study we aimed to investigate the changes in mitochondrial dynamics that occur in the mouse brain upon infection with A. cantonensis, using molecular biology techniques such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), western blot analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and different staining methods. Here, we show that mouse brain infected with A. cantonensis exhibits altered mitochondrial dynamics, including fission, fusion, and biogenesis. Additionally, we demonstrate that caspases and B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) were significantly upregulated in A. cantonensis-infected brain. These results are indicative of the occurrence of apoptosis during A. cantonensis infection, which was further confirmed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining. These findings suggest the change in mitochondrial dynamics in A. cantonensis-infected brain, providing another point of view on the pathogenesis of meningoencephalitis caused by A. cantonensis infection.
广东血管圆线虫是一种广泛分布的寄生虫，可引起哺乳动物中枢神经系统（CNS）疾病。由于线粒体是负责生理和病理过程的重要细胞器，其功能障碍可能导致炎症和多种疾病。在这项研究中，我们使用聚合酶链反应（PCR）、western blot 分析、透射电子显微镜（TEM）和不同的染色方法等分子生物学技术，旨在研究感染广东血管圆线虫后小鼠大脑中线粒体动力学的变化。在这里，我们表明，感染广东血管圆线虫的小鼠大脑表现出线粒体动力学的改变，包括裂变、融合和生物发生。此外，我们证明，感染广东血管圆线虫的大脑中 caspase 和 B 细胞淋巴瘤 2（BCL-2）明显上调。这些结果表明，在广东血管圆线虫感染期间发生了细胞凋亡，末端脱氧核苷酸转移酶 dUTP 缺口末端标记（TUNEL）染色进一步证实了这一点。这些发现表明，感染广东血管圆线虫的大脑中线粒体动力学发生变化，为广东血管圆线虫感染引起的脑膜脑炎的发病机制提供了另一个视角。
