Effects of Echinostoma caproni infection on the phospholipid and sphingolipid content of the intestinal mucosa of ICR mice

Effects of Echinostoma caproni infection on the neutral and polar lipids of intestinal and non-intestinal organs in the BALB/c mouse as determined by high-performance thin-layer chromatography

The goal of this study was to characterize and quantify the various neutral and polar lipid classes in the BALB/c mouse that are associated with Echinostoma caproni infection. Ten infected mice and 10 uninfected control mice were used for this study (five infected and five uninfected were used for each of the neutral lipid and polar lipid studies). After 3 weeks postinfection, the mice were necropsied and various organs were removed and prepared for lipid class analysis. The organs used were liver, kidney, spleen, colon, cecum, anterior portion of the small intestine (SI), middle portion of the SI, and posterior portion of the SI. Lipids were determined by high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) with Analtech 10 x 20 cm HPTLC-HLF silica gel plates. For neutral lipids, petroleum ether-diethyl ether-glacial acetic acid (80:20:1) mobile phase and 5% ethanolic phosphomolybdic acid detection reagent were used to determine the neutral lipids in each organ. Chloroform-methanol-deionized water (65:25:4) mobile phase and 10% cupric sulfate in 8% phosphoric acid detection reagent were used to determine the polar lipids in each organ. The analyzed polar lipids in all organs were phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and sphingomyelin (SM). Using HPTLC-densitometry for quantification, PC was found in the greatest amount and SM the smallest of all organs analyzed. The PE in the anterior portion of the SI was determined to be significantly greater (using the Student's t test with P < 0.05), with about twice the amount of PE in mice infected with E. caproni relative to the uninfected mice. No significant differences in any of the neutral lipid classes were found between infected and uninfected samples.

Effects of Echinostoma caproni infections on metallic ions in the intestinal mucosa of ICR mice

Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) was used to study metallic ions in the intestinal mucosa of ICR mice infected with Echinostoma caproni and the mucosa of uninfected control mice. Infected mucosa (n = 9 with about 100 mg wet weight per sample) were examined at 2 weeks p.i. in mice that were infected with about 25 worms per host. Uninfected mucosa (n = 9 with about 100 mg wet weight per sample) were examined in the same time frame as the infected mucosa. Five metals were measured in the mucosa by ICP-AES analysis, as follows: calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium and zinc. There were no significant differences (Student's t-test, P > 0.05) in the concentrations of calcium, potassium or zinc in infected versus uninfected mucosa. The concentration of sodium was significantly greater (P < 0.05) in the mucosa of infected versus uninfected mucosa, but the situation was reversed in regard to magnesium.

Recent Advances in the Biology of Echinostoma species in the “revolutum” Group

This review examines the significant literature on the biology of Echinostoma species in the "revolutum" group. We have considered 10 species belonging to this group. There is a considerable body of literature for four of the species, i.e. Echinostoma caproni, E. trivolvis, E. paraensei and E. revolutum. For these species we have arranged coverage to include the following headings: (1) systematic and descriptive studies; (2) experimental, manipulative and ecological studies; (3) physiological and biochemical studies; (4) immunological and molecular studies. For the remaining six species, i.e. E. friedi, E. miyagawai, E. echinatum, E. parvocirris, E. luisyrei and E. jurini, the literature is not very extensive, and headings were not used. Considerable information in various areas of modern parasitology can be obtained from species in the "revolutum" complex for which the entire life cycle is maintained in the laboratory. The review includes a list of researchers and their addresses who currently maintain such life cycles.