Immunological characteristics of splenic dendritic cells subsets in mice at different stages of Echinococcus multilocularis infection

doi:10.12140/j.issn.1000-7423.2026.02.002

Abstract

Abstract:

Objective To investigate the changes in the number, proportion and immunological characteristics of splenic dendritic cells (DCs) and their subsets in mice at different stages of Echinococcus multilocularis infection. Methods C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into a control group and an infection group. Mice in the infection group were injected with 4 000 E. multilocularis protoscoleces via the hepatic portal vein, while mice in the control group received an equal volume of normal saline. Spleen tissues were collected at 2 weeks and 24 weeks post-infection, respectively. Paraffin-embedded sections were subjected to immunohistochemistry (IHC) to observe the localization of CD11c⁺ cells in spleen. Splenic lymphocytes were isolated, and flow cytometry was used to detect the number, proportion and expression of co-stimulatory molecules CD40 and CD80 on DCs and their subsets in the spleen of both groups. Results IHC results showed that CD11c⁺ cells in both the control and infection groups were predominantly localized in the marginal zone of the splenic white pulp at all infection stages, with no statistically significant difference in the proportion of positive staining area between groups (t = 0.473, -1.885; both P > 0.05). Flow cytometry revealed that at 2 and 24 weeks post-infection, splenic DCs in the infection group accounted for (11.33 ± 2.67)% and (15.24 ± 3.63)% of total splenic lymphocytes, respectively, both significantly lower than those in the control group [(18.08 ± 3.47)% and (22.06 ± 4.58)%, respectively] (t = 3.449, 2.761; P < 0.01, 0.05). The proportion of plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) among splenic DCs was (11.41 ± 3.82)% in the control group and (9.71 ± 3.22)% in the infection group at 2 weeks post-infection, and (4.26 ± 1.59)% and (4.85 ± 1.16)%, respectively, at 24 weeks post-infection, with no statistically significant differences (t = 0.760, -0.707; both P > 0.05). The proportion of conventional DCs (cDCs) among splenic DCs was (52.38 ± 5.13)% in the control group and (35.96 ± 4.31)% in the infection group at 2 weeks post-infection, with the infection group significantly lower than the control group (t = 5.479, P < 0.01); at 24 weeks post-infection, the proportions were (30.46 ± 5.44)% and (32.18 ± 3.22)%, respectively, with no statistically significant difference (t = -0.654, P > 0.05). Among splenic cDCs, the proportion of CD103⁺CD11b^- cells in the infection group was (14.24 ± 2.29)% at 2 weeks and (7.97 ± 1.75)% at 24 weeks post-infection, both significantly higher than those in the control group [(8.63 ± 0.60)% and (4.50 ± 1.28)%, respectively] (t = -5.294, -3.681; both P < 0.01). The proportion of CD103^-CD11b⁺ cells among splenic cDCs in the infection group was (45.74 ± 4.43)% at 2 weeks post-infection, significantly higher than that in the control group [(38.12 ± 4.58)%] (t = -2.672, P < 0.05), but was (50.42 ± 6.97)% at 24 weeks post-infection, significantly lower than that in the control group [(59.06 ± 4.51)%] (t = 2.378, P < 0.05). At 2 weeks post-infection, the proportions of CD40⁺ cells among splenic DCs, pDCs, and cDCs in the infection group were (13.89 ± 2.96)%, (2.33 ± 0.64)%, and (11.10 ± 1.93)%, respectively, all significantly lower than those in the control group [(23.98 ± 2.94)%, (3.75 ± 0.93)%, and (20.22 ± 2.84)%, respectively] (t = 5.412, 2.818, 5.943; P < 0.01, 0.05, 0.01). At 2 weeks post-infection, the proportions of CD80⁺ cells among splenic DCs and cDCs in the infection group were (27.78 ± 11.22)% and (19.36 ± 9.64)%, respectively, both significantly lower than those in the control group [(44.16 ± 8.11)% and (33.42 ± 7.61)%, respectively] (t = 2.645, 2.559; both P < 0.05). At 24 weeks post-infection, the proportions of CD80⁺ cells among splenic DCs and cDCs in the infection group were (47.22 ± 2.42)% and (31.00 ± 2.56)%, respectively, both significantly higher than those in the control group [(29.26 ± 7.88)% and (20.30 ± 7.45)%, respectively] (t = -5.338, -3.321; both P < 0.01). Conclusion In the early stage of E. multilocularis infection, the number of splenic DCs and cDCs decreased, and the expression of CD40 and CD80 was down-regulated, suggesting impaired DC maturation. In the late stage of infection, the number of DCs and cDCs increased, and CD80 expression was up-regulated, reflecting the evolution of the immune response during the late phase of infection.

Key words: Alveolar echinococcoisis, Echinococcus multilocularis, Spleen, Dendritic cell, Co-stimulatory molecules

CLC Number:

R532.32

TANG Na, AYINAER Jiensi, XIAO Wenying, ABIDAN Ainiwaer, SUN Sheng, GE Conghui, WANG Mengying, GAO Yi, HU Qiu, LI Jing, ZHANG Chuanshan, WANG Hui. Immunological characteristics of splenic dendritic cells subsets in mice at different stages of Echinococcus multilocularis infection[J]. CHINESE JOURNAL OF PARASITOLOGY AND PARASITIC DISEASES, 2026, 44(2): 158-165.

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