Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40000, Thailand.
Research and Diagnostic Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases (RCEID), Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40000, Thailand.
Biol Open. 2023 Aug 15;12(8). doi: 10.1242/bio.059909. Epub 2023 Aug 7.
Opisthorchis viverrini (Ov) infection can cause several disease conditions of the bile duct including hepatobiliary abnormalities (HBAs) and the most severe, cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Fibrosis occurs when tissues are damaged and normal wound-healing responses are dysregulated. Neutrophils are the first cells to migrate to an infection site to protect the host from intruding extracellular pathogens through a wide range of effector mechanisms such as phagocytosis, production of reactive oxygen species, proteases, or release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). In this work, we used confocal microscopy to assess whether Ov crude antigens can cause release of NETs from neutrophils from Ov-free individuals. We demonstrated for the first time that these antigens could induce release of NETs ex vivo in a dose-dependent manner from neutrophils isolated from Ov-free individuals. Intriguingly, when we measured NETs from neutrophils isolated from Ov-infected patients, we found increased spontaneous production of NETs in patients with HBAs. Interestingly, exposure to Ov crude antigens lowered the level of NETs released by neutrophils from patients with active Ov infection regardless of HBA status. We propose that in the case of acute Ov infection, even when concentration of Ov antigens is relatively low, neutrophils can form NETs. However, when this infection becomes chronic, manifesting as a definite HBA, the levels of NET production are reduced when treated with Ov crude antigens. Excessive production of proinflammatory mediators from these NETs might have effects on the parasites, but may also lead to excessive injury of surrounding tissues resulting in HBAs and may lead eventually to the most severe complications such as CCA.
华支睾吸虫(Ov)感染可引起胆管的多种疾病状况,包括肝胆异常(HBAs)和最严重的胆管癌(CCA)。当组织受损且正常的伤口愈合反应失调时,就会发生纤维化。中性粒细胞是最早迁移到感染部位的细胞,通过多种效应机制(如吞噬作用、产生活性氧物质、蛋白酶或释放中性粒细胞胞外陷阱(NETs))来保护宿主免受入侵的细胞外病原体的侵害。在这项工作中,我们使用共聚焦显微镜评估 Ov 粗抗原是否会导致来自无 Ov 个体的中性粒细胞释放 NETs。我们首次证明,这些抗原可以在体外从无 Ov 个体分离的中性粒细胞中以剂量依赖性方式诱导 NETs 的释放。有趣的是,当我们测量从 Ov 感染患者分离的中性粒细胞中的 NETs 时,我们发现 HBA 患者的 NETs 自发产生增加。有趣的是,暴露于 Ov 粗抗原会降低来自活动性 Ov 感染患者的中性粒细胞释放的 NETs 水平,而不管 HBA 状态如何。我们提出,在急性 Ov 感染的情况下,即使 Ov 抗原的浓度相对较低,中性粒细胞也可以形成 NETs。然而,当这种感染变成慢性时,表现为明确的 HBA,当用 Ov 粗抗原治疗时,NET 产生的水平会降低。这些 NETs 中过度产生的促炎介质可能对寄生虫有影响,但也可能导致周围组织过度损伤,导致 HBA,并最终导致最严重的并发症,如 CCA。