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Association of CX3CL1 and CX3CR1 Expression with Liver Fibrosis in a Mouse Model of Schistosomiasis

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Summary

Immunopathological mechanisms of schistosomiasis, a debilitating parasitic disease, are still unclear. In this study, we investigated the involvement of CX3C chemokine ligand 1 (CX3CL1) and its sole receptor CX3CR1 in the development of liver fibrosis in schistosomiasis. The animal model of schistosomiasis was established by infection of C57BL/6 mice with Schistosoma japonicum cercariae; mice injected with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) were used as positive control of liver injury. After 4 and 8 weeks, the degree of liver lesions was assessed by hematoxylin and eosin staining, serum levels of hyaluronic acid (HA) were analyzed by a chemiluminescence immunoassay, liver fibrosis was evaluated by immunohistochemistry analysis of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression, and CX3CL1 and CX3CR1 expression in the liver was measured by immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR. The results showed that at 8 weeks after Schistosoma infection, serum HA levels were increased and α-SMA-expressing cells appeared in the liver, indicating fibrogenesis. CX3CL1- and CX3CR1-positive cells were observed in the outer layer of granulomas formed around Schistosoma eggs in liver tissues, which was consistent with the significant upregulation of hepatic CX3CL1 and CX3CR1 mRNA expression at 4 and 8 weeks post-infection. Furthermore, correlation analysis revealed positive association between CX3CL1 and CX3CR1 expression and serum HA levels at 8 weeks post-infection, indicating a link between fibrogenesis and the CX3CL1/CX3CR1 axis in schistosomiasis. In conclusion, our data suggest the involvement of CX3CL1 and CX3CR1 in the progression of liver fibrosis caused by Schistosoma infection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Emergency Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China

    Pan Zhang & Xu-mao Xie

  2. Department of Infectious Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China

    Bao-ju Wang, Jun-zhong Wang & Qiao-xiao Tong

Authors
  1. Pan Zhang
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  2. Bao-ju Wang
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  3. Jun-zhong Wang
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  4. Xu-mao Xie
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  5. Qiao-xiao Tong
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Qiao-xiao Tong.

Additional information

This study was supported by the National Key Technology Rearch & Development Program of China (No. 2015BAI09B06).

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest associated with this article.

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Zhang, P., Wang, Bj., Wang, Jz. et al. Association of CX3CL1 and CX3CR1 Expression with Liver Fibrosis in a Mouse Model of Schistosomiasis. CURR MED SCI 40, 1121–1127 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-020-2294-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-020-2294-x

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