Immunoregulation effect of crude extract of C. elegans on allergic asthma

Abstract

To explore effects of natural crude extract of C. elegans on treatment of asthma.

Method: Obtain crude extract of C. elegans from synchronically incubated C. elegans via centrifugation, washing and ultrasonic emulsification, etc.; measure C. elegans's protein molecular weight via SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAG electrophoresis); construct animal models of asthma with 6-8-week-old BALB/c female mice sensitized by chicken ovalbumin (OVA); conduct immunotherapy on animals with asthma with different doses of mixture of C. elegans and OVA (COM) respectively; take PBS buffer group and OVA group as control groups; conduct inspection of cell factors and differential count of cells in serum IgE, IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) via enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); and incise lung tissue for pathology observation.

Result: C. elegans's protein molecular weight is about 50 kd. In bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of OVA group, cell factors IL-5 and IL-13 are more than those in PBS buffer group, but IL-2 and IFN-γ are less than those in PBS buffer group; these differences are of statistical significance (P<0.05). Total cellular score and number of eosinophile granulocyte in BALF of OVA group are more than those in PBS buffer group (P<0.05), and the difference in serum IgE, IgG1 and IgG2a between these two groups is of statistical significance (P<0.05). For groups treatment by different doses of COM, cell factors IL-5 and IL-13 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) are less than those in OVA group, but IL-2 and IFN-γ are more than those in OVA group; these differences are of statistical significance (P<0.05). Total cellular score and number of eosinophile granulocyte in BALF of COM treatment groups are less than those in OVA group (P<0.05); serum IgE and IgG1 less than those in OVA group, but IgG2a is more than that in OVA group; these differences are of statistical significance (P<0.05).

Conclusion: The natural crude extract of C. elegans has immunoregulation to animals with asthma.

Keywords: Caenorhabditis elegans; asthma; crude extract; immunoregulation.

Figure 1

SDS-PAGE Analysis of C. elegans Proteins. M: Protein marker 1-7: Extract of C. elegans 8: OVA.

Figure 2

Comparison among contents of serum IgE, IgG1, IgG2a antibodies. a: In comparison with PBS and OVA groups, the difference was of statistical significance (P<0.001); b: in comparison with COM-A group, the difference is of statistical significance (P<0.01); c: in comparison with COM-A group, the difference was of no statistical significance (P>0.05).

Figure 3

Cell classification and count in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). a: In comparison with PBS and OVA groups, the difference was of statistical significance (P<0.001); b: in comparison with COM-A group, the difference was of statistical significance (P<0.01); c: in comparison with COM-A group, the difference was of no statistical significance (P>0.05); d: in comparison with OVA group, the difference was of no statistical significance (P>0.05).

Figure 4

Pulmonary histopathologic changes of mice with asthma in different groups. A: HE×100; B: HE×400; C: HE×400; D: HE×100.