Malnutrition and hepatic fibrosis in murine schistosomiasis

The outcome of acute schistosomiasis infection in adult mice with postnatal exposure to maternal malnutrition

“…After weaning, even with an adequate supply of a commercial diet (23% protein) until 120 days of age, the programming of PR offspring resulted in a lower mean body weight, whereas CR programming resulted in overweight offspring. These findings corroborate our previous data using programmed rats (Passos et al 2000, 2004, Fagundes et al 2007, 2009. These alterations of body mass can be explained by hypophagia (PR mice) and hyperphagia (CR mice), which is a different conclusion than can be drawn from the rat model, in which food intake was unchanged.…”

“…This has been previously demonstrated in adult animals (Magalhães et al 1986, Coutinho et al 2003, Coutinho 2004 due to the inflammatory process caused by S. mansoni eggs (Mota & Sleigh 1984, Sleigh et al 1986). Liver pathology around mature eggs depends on, among other factors, the host nutritional status (Coutinho et al 1997, Oliveira et al 2004).…”

“…Qualitative analysis of liver granulomas sorted by exudation showed that PR offspring had more granulomas of the pre-granulomatous stage, whereas CR offspring had more exudativeproductive granulomas. Undernourished mice infected with S. mansoni were unable to produce periportal fibrosis in liver granuloma and it has been suggested that the nutritional status of the host contributes to the remodelling of liver granulomas during peri-ovular schistosomiasis (Coutinho 2004). One possible mechanistic explanation for the differences observed in liver morphology during Schistosoma infection concerns serum leptin levels.…”

“…Among children, protein-energy malnutrition is the most prevalent nutritional disorder and often occurs during gestation, lactation and the first two years of life (Desai et al 2000). In fact, experimental data have reported that maternal malnutrition during the critical period of lactation may have deleterious effects during the adult life of the offspring, even if the animal had free access to a normal diet after weaning (Passos et al 2000, 2004, Fagundes et al 2007, 2009.…”

Manson's schistosomiasis in the undernourished mouse: some recent findings

“…Various attempts to induce the pipe-stem like liver fibrosis in undernourished mice have been unsuccessful, such as: shifting from a deficient to a balanced diet and vice-versa (Coutinho et al 2003); repeated infections five times at 15-day intervals (Coutinho et al 2007) and assays with BALB/c and C57BL/10 inbred mouse strains (Coutinho 2004).…”