Key Laboratory of Livestock Disease Prevention of Guangdong Province, Key Laboratory of Avian Influenza and Other Major Poultry Diseases Prevention and Control, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China.
Wen's Group Academy, Wen's Foodstuffs Group Co., Ltd., Xinxing, Guangdong 527400, China.
Parasite. 2024;31:18. doi: 10.1051/parasite/2024014. Epub 2024 Mar 26.
Pentatrichomonas hominis, a flagellated parasitic protozoan, predominantly infects the mammalian digestive tract, often causing symptoms such as abdominal pain and diarrhea. However, studies investigating its pathogenicity are limited, and the mechanisms underlying P. hominis-induced diarrhea remain unclear. Establishing an in vitro cell model for P. hominis infection is imperative. This study investigated the interaction between P. hominis and IPEC-J2 cells and its impact on parasite growth, adhesion, morphology, and cell viability. Co-cultivation of P. hominis with IPEC-J2 cells resulted in exponential growth of the parasite, with peak densities reaching approximately 4.8 × 10 cells/mL and 1.2 × 10 cells/mL at 48 h for initial inoculation concentrations of 10 cells/mL and 10 cells/mL, respectively. The adhesion rate of P. hominis to IPEC-J2 cells reached a maximum of 93.82% and 86.57% at 24 h for initial inoculation concentrations of 10 cells/mL and 10 cells/mL, respectively. Morphological changes in IPEC-J2 cells co-cultivated with P. hominis were observed, manifesting as elongated and irregular shapes. The viability of IPEC-J2 cells exhibited a decreasing trend with increasing P. hominis concentration and co-cultivation time. Additionally, the mRNA expression levels of IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α were upregulated, whereas those of CAT and CuZn-SOD were downregulated. These findings provide quantitative evidence that P. hominis can promote its growth by adhering to IPEC-J2 cells, inducing morphological changes, reducing cell viability, and triggering inflammatory responses. Further in vivo studies are warranted to confirm these results and enhance our understanding of P. hominis infection.
人毛滴虫是一种鞭毛寄生原生动物，主要感染哺乳动物的消化道，常引起腹痛和腹泻等症状。然而，关于其致病性的研究有限，人毛滴虫诱导腹泻的机制尚不清楚。建立人毛滴虫感染的体外细胞模型是当务之急。本研究探讨了人毛滴虫与人肠上皮细胞（IPEC-J2）的相互作用及其对寄生虫生长、黏附、形态和细胞活力的影响。将人毛滴虫与人肠上皮细胞共培养导致寄生虫呈指数增长，初始接种浓度为 10 个细胞/ml 和 10 个细胞/ml 时，48 小时的峰值密度分别约为 4.8×10 个细胞/ml 和 1.2×10 个细胞/ml。人毛滴虫与人肠上皮细胞的黏附率在初始接种浓度为 10 个细胞/ml 和 10 个细胞/ml 时，24 小时分别达到 93.82%和 86.57%的最大值。与人毛滴虫共培养的 IPEC-J2 细胞形态发生变化，表现为伸长和不规则形状。随着人毛滴虫浓度和共培养时间的增加，IPEC-J2 细胞的活力呈下降趋势。此外，IL-6、IL-8 和 TNF-α 的 mRNA 表达水平上调，而 CAT 和 CuZn-SOD 的表达水平下调。这些发现提供了定量证据，表明人毛滴虫可以通过黏附于 IPEC-J2 细胞来促进自身生长，诱导形态变化，降低细胞活力，并引发炎症反应。需要进一步的体内研究来验证这些结果，并加深我们对人毛滴虫感染的认识。
