In order to understand the effect of prednisolone injection on the histopathological changes of the mouse liver and the chronological changes of the worm structure of Clonorchis sinensis, when this fluke was inoculated to the mouse intraperitoneally. The recovery rate, survival rate, location and size of the inoculated worms as well as the histopathological changes of the liver were investigated for the comparison among the groups of mice, which were classified by number of worms and the duration of observation period. The result obtained were summarized as follows: The recovery rate and survival rate of the worms decreased especially 28 days after the inoculation. Most of worms (45.5 percent) were collected from the peritoneal cavity, and some of worms were found tightly adherent to the capsules of the liver, spleen, intestine and diaphragm. The mean worm size after inoculation was constantly smaller than that before inoculation. Remarkable atrophy in the reproductive organs of the worm, such as spermatheca, testes, vitelline gland and ovary was frequently observed at the 10th day of inoculation. Histopathologically the liver failed to show any parasitic worm inside the intrahepatic biliary system. However, multiple well formed egg-containing granulomas were present along the liver capsule. These necrotic granulomas were occasionally found under the fibrotic liver capsule. Focal necrosis and focal phlebitis together with vascular dilatation were prominent features of the liver. The worms recovered in the capsule of the liver were degenerated and necrotized. Usually, there were remarkable capsulitis and granuloma formation around the eggs.
parasitology-helminth-trematoda ; Clonorchis sinensis ; histology ; pathology ; mouse-liver ; immunology ; immunesuppression ; necrosis ; phlebitis ; dilatation ; capsulitis ; granuloma

The aim of the study is to characterize the phenotypes of CD4+ CD25+ T regulatory cells within the liver granulomas and association with both Foxp-3 gene expression and splenic cytokines. Naive C57BL/6 mice were intravenously injected with multiple doses of the soluble egg antigen (SEA) 7 days before cercarial infection. The immunized and infected control groups were sacrificed 8 and 16 weeks post-infection (PI). Histopathology, parasitological parameters, splenic phenotypes for T regulatory cells, the FOXP-3 expression in hepatic granuloma using real-time PCR, and the associated splenic cytokines were studied. Histopathological examination of the liver revealed remarkable increase in degenerated ova within hepatic granuloma which decreased in diameter at weeks 8 and 16 PI (P<0.01). The percentage of T regulatory cells (CD4+ CD25+) increased significantly (P<0.01) in the immunized group compared to the infected control at weeks 8 and 16 PI. The FOXP-3 expression in hepatic granulomas increased from 10 at week 8 to 30 fold at week 16 PI in the infected control group. However, its expression in the immunized group showed an increase from 30 at week 8 to 70 fold at week 16 PI. The splenic cytokine levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, IFN-gamma, IL-4, and TNF-alpha, showed significant decreases (P<0.05) compared to the infected control group. In conclusion, the magnitude and phenotype of the egg-induced effects on T helper responses were found to be controlled by a parallel response within the T regulatory population which provides protection in worm parasite-induced immunopathology.
Animals ; Antibodies, Helminth/immunology ; Antigens, Helminth/administration & dosage/*immunology ; Cytokines/genetics/immunology ; Forkhead Transcription Factors/genetics/immunology ; Granuloma/*immunology/parasitology ; Humans ; Immunization ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Schistosoma mansoni/genetics/*immunology ; Schistosomiasis mansoni/genetics/*immunology/parasitology ; Spleen/immunology ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/*immunology