University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Rustaq College of Education, Science Department (Biology Unit), Rrustaq, Sultante of Oman.
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia.
J Neurosci Res. 2024 Jan;102(1). doi: 10.1002/jnr.25288.
Parasites have a significant impact on the neurological, cognitive, and mental well-being of humans, with a global population of over 1 billion individuals affected. The pathogenesis of central nervous system (CNS) injury in parasitic diseases remains limited, and prevention and control of parasitic CNS infections remain significant areas of research. Parasites, encompassing both unicellular and multicellular organisms, have intricate life cycles and possess the ability to infect a diverse range of hosts, including the human population. Parasitic illnesses that impact the central and peripheral nervous systems are a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality in low- to middle-income nations. The precise pathways through which neurotropic parasites infiltrate the CNS by crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and cause neurological harm remain incompletely understood. Investigating brain infections caused by parasites is closely linked to studying neuroinflammation and cerebral impairment. The exact molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in this process remain incomplete, but understanding the exact mechanisms could provide insight into their pathogenesis and potentially reveal novel therapeutic targets. This review paper explores the underlying mechanisms involved in the development of neurological disorders caused by parasites, including parasite-derived elements, host immune responses, and modifications in tight junctions (TJs) proteins.
寄生虫对人类的神经、认知和心理健康有重大影响，全球有超过 10 亿人受到影响。寄生虫病引起的中枢神经系统（CNS）损伤的发病机制仍然有限，寄生虫性 CNS 感染的预防和控制仍然是重要的研究领域。寄生虫包括单细胞和多细胞生物，它们具有复杂的生命周期，并能够感染包括人类在内的各种宿主。影响中枢和周围神经系统的寄生虫病是中低收入国家发病率和死亡率的重要原因。神经亲和性寄生虫通过血脑屏障（BBB）渗透中枢神经系统并引起神经损伤的确切途径仍不完全清楚。研究由寄生虫引起的脑感染与研究神经炎症和脑损伤密切相关。这一过程中涉及的确切分子和细胞机制尚不完全清楚，但了解确切的机制可以深入了解其发病机制，并可能揭示新的治疗靶点。本文综述了寄生虫引起的神经紊乱发展的潜在机制，包括寄生虫衍生的成分、宿主免疫反应以及紧密连接（TJ）蛋白的改变。
