Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China.
Department of Chemistry, College of Life and Basic Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jan 22;24(3):2187. doi: 10.3390/ijms24032187.
() is an ectoparasite that can infest humans and 150 mammalian host species, primarily causing pruritus, crust, and alopecia. However, neither the pathological process of host skin under infection nor the mechanism of infection in regulating apoptosis and keratinization of host skin has been studied yet. In this study, a total of 56 rabbits were artificially infested with , and the skin samples were collected at seven different time points, including 6 h, 12 h, day 1, day 3, 1 week, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks, whereas a group of eight rabbits served as controls. We measured epidermal thickness by H&E staining, observed the skin ultrastructure by electron microscopy, and detected the degree of skin apoptosis by TUNEL staining. The level of transcription of genes related to apoptosis and keratinization was detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and the level of Bcl-2 protein expression was further detected using immunohistochemistry. Our results showed that, with increased infestation time, the epidermal layer of the rabbit skin exhibited significant thickening and keratinization, swollen mitochondria in the epidermal cells, and increased skin apoptosis. The level of caspase-1, 3, 8, 10, 14, and Bcl-2 mRNA expression was increased, whereas the level of keratin 1 and 5 was decreased after infestation. In conclusion, infestation causes thickening of the epidermis, which may be related to apoptosis-induced proliferation and skin keratinization.
（）是一种外寄生虫，可以寄生人类和 150 种哺乳动物宿主，主要引起瘙痒、结痂和脱发。然而，尚未研究感染宿主皮肤的病理过程，也未研究感染调节宿主皮肤细胞凋亡和角化的机制。在这项研究中，共 56 只兔子被人工感染，在七个不同时间点采集皮肤样本，包括 6 小时、12 小时、第 1 天、第 3 天、第 1 周、第 4 周和第 8 周，而一组 8 只兔子作为对照。我们通过 H&E 染色测量表皮厚度，通过电子显微镜观察皮肤超微结构，通过 TUNEL 染色检测皮肤细胞凋亡程度。通过实时定量 PCR（qRT-PCR）检测与细胞凋亡和角化相关的基因转录水平，并通过免疫组织化学进一步检测 Bcl-2 蛋白表达水平。我们的结果表明，随着感染时间的增加，兔皮肤的表皮层明显增厚和角化，表皮细胞中的线粒体肿胀，皮肤细胞凋亡增加。感染后 caspase-1、3、8、10、14 和 Bcl-2mRNA 表达水平增加，而角蛋白 1 和 5 表达水平降低。总之，感染导致表皮层增厚，这可能与凋亡诱导的增殖和皮肤角化有关。
