College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, PR China - Department of Pathology, Inner Mongolia People's Hospital, Hohhot 010011, PR China.
College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, PR China.
Parasite. 2024;31:53. doi: 10.1051/parasite/2024053. Epub 2024 Sep 6.
Clonorchis sinensis is a zoonotic liver fluke that inhabits the bile ducts of the human liver for prolonged periods, leading to cholangiocarcinoma. Recent research indicates associations between altered biliary microbiota and bile duct disorders. However, the impacts of C. sinensis infection on bile duct epithelium and subsequent effects on biliary microbiota remain unknown.
Feline bile duct samples were collected from both uninfected and C. sinensis-infected cats. Histopathological examination was performed to assess epithelial changes, fibrosis, mucin and cell proliferation using hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemistry. Additionally, biliary microbiota composition was analyzed through 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Statistical analyses were conducted to compare the microbial diversity and relative abundance between infected and uninfected samples.
Histopathological analysis of infected feline bile ducts revealed prominent epithelial hyperplasia characterized by increased cell proliferation. Moreover, periductal fibrosis and collagen fibrosis were observed in infected samples compared to uninfected controls. Biliary microbial richness decreased with disease progression compared to uninfected controls. Streptococcus abundance positively correlated with disease severity, dominating communities in cancer samples. Predictive functional analysis suggested that C. sinensis may promote bile duct lesions by increasing microbial genes for carbohydrate metabolism, replication, and repair.
This study provides comprehensive insights into the pathological effects of C. sinensis infection on feline bile duct epithelium and its influence on biliary microbiota composition. These novel findings provide insight into C. sinensis pathogenesis and could inform therapeutic development against human clonorchiasis. Further research is warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms driving these changes and their implications for host-parasite interactions.
华支睾吸虫是一种寄生在人类肝脏胆管中的动物源性肝吸虫，可导致胆管癌。最近的研究表明，胆管微生物群的改变与胆管疾病之间存在关联。然而，华支睾吸虫感染对胆管上皮细胞的影响以及对胆管微生物群的后续影响尚不清楚。
从未感染和感染华支睾吸虫的猫的胆管中采集胆汁样本。通过苏木精-伊红染色和免疫组织化学染色评估上皮变化、纤维化、粘蛋白和细胞增殖，进行组织病理学检查。此外，通过 16S rRNA 基因测序分析胆汁微生物群的组成。通过比较感染和未感染样本之间的微生物多样性和相对丰度进行统计分析。
感染猫胆管的组织病理学分析显示，上皮细胞过度增生明显，细胞增殖增加。此外，与未感染对照组相比，感染样本中存在周围胆管纤维化和胶原纤维化。与未感染对照组相比，随着疾病的进展，胆汁微生物丰富度降低。链球菌丰度与疾病严重程度呈正相关，在癌症样本中占主导地位。预测功能分析表明，华支睾吸虫可能通过增加微生物碳水化合物代谢、复制和修复的基因来促进胆管损伤。
本研究全面了解了华支睾吸虫感染对猫胆管上皮细胞的病理影响及其对胆汁微生物群组成的影响。这些新发现为华支睾吸虫的发病机制提供了深入的了解，并为针对人类华支睾吸虫病的治疗方法的开发提供了信息。需要进一步的研究来阐明驱动这些变化的潜在机制及其对宿主-寄生虫相互作用的影响。
