The peripheral nervous system lacks lymphatic vessels and is protected by the blood-nerve barrier, which prevents lymphocytes and antibodies from entering the neural parenchyma (Schwartz et al. 1982). However, recent studies have found that peripheral nerve injury results in degeneration of the distal nerve (Ustun et al. 2017; Shefa and Jung, 2019). Myelin degeneration causes macrophage aggregation, T lymphocyte infiltration, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II antigen expression, and immunoglobulin G (IgG) deposition in the nerve membrane, which together result in nerve edema and therefore affect nerve regeneration (Willison et al. 2002). In addition, some studies have shown greater immunoglobulin deposits as well as poor nerve regeneration and functional recovery after severe nerve injury (Xiao et al. 2016; Yuan and Feng, 2016). These findings suggest that the local immune response after nerve injury has an inhibitory effect on nerve regeneration (Ansselin and Pollard, 1990; Navarro et al. 2007). On the other hand, peripheral nerve regeneration is dependent on both injured axons and non-neuronal cells, such as Schwann cells, endoneurial fibroblasts
Aims
DX5+NKT cells’ distribution and population change in BALB/c and FVB mice infected by C sinensis and their function in liver damage were investigated.
Methods and results
Mice were infected by Clonorchis sinensis metacercariae, and lymphocytes were isolated from the livers, spleens and peripheral blood. NK, DX5+NKT, INF‐γ+DX5+NKT cells and liver fibrosis were analysed. The DX5+NKT cells displayed the largest amount in normal BALB/c mice liver followed by peripheral blood and spleen. Although the hepatic DX5+NKT cells of BALB/c mice were more than that of FVB mice, they did not show significant percentage change after C sinensis infection. The hepatic DX5+NKT cells of FVB mice increased remarkably after infection accompanied with heavier liver injury and fibrosis than the BALB/c mice. And hydroxyproline content was also positively correlated with DX5+NKT cells only in FVB mice. However, the increase of IFN‐γ producing DX5+NKT cells was lower in FVB mice than in BALB/c mice which showed sharp increase with mild liver damage after infection. The frequencies of anti‐fibrotic NK cells were similar in both of the two mouse strains.
Conclusions
C sinensis could induce different DX5+NKT cells responses in different mouse strains which may play roles in liver injury and fibrosis in FVB mice.
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