• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.211-218
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• 1995

To clarify the correlation of the proteinase activity with pathogenicity of Clonorrhis sinensis, the proteinase activity either in excretory-secretory products (ESP) or in crude extracts of adult C. sinensis was examined. Substrate gel electrophoresis of the ESP and crude extracts revealed four distinct enzyme bands, which were differently inhibited by the specific proteinase inhibitors. The proteinase of the ESP with molecular mass of 24 kDa, was purified 23-fold with 14.5% yield by spectra gel ACA 44 gel filtration. It exhibited optimal pH at 7.5 in sodium phosphate (0.1 M). Its activity was inhibited specifically by N-ethylmaleimide (NEMI and antipain whereas potentiated 1.9 folds in the presence of 5 mM dithiothreitol (DTT). Cytotoxicity of the proteinase increased in a dose- dependent manner up to 120 ㎍/ml while reduced by NEM and antipain, indicating that cysteine proteinase was responsible for the cytotoxicity. This result shows that the 24 kDa cysteine proteinase is deeply correlated with the pathogenicity of C. sinensis infection.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.95-99
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• 2008

Eosinophil degranulation plays a crucial role in tissue inflammatory reactions associated with helminth parasitic infections and allergic diseases. Paragonimus westermani, a lung fluke causing human paragonimiasis, secretes a large amount of cysteine proteases, which are involved in nutrient uptake, tissue invasion, and modulation of hos's immune responses. There is, however, limited information about the response of eosinophils to direct stimulation by cysteine proteases (CP) secreted by P. westermani. In the present study, we tested whether degranulation and superoxide production from human eosinophils can be induced by stimulation of the 2 CP (27 kDa and 28 kDa) purified from excretory-secretory products (ESP) of P. westermani newly excysted metacercariae (PwNEM). A large quantity of eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN) was detected in the culture supernatant when human eosinophils isolated from the peripheral blood were incubated with the purified 27 kDa CP. Furthermore, the 27 kDa CP induced superoxide anion production by eosinophils in time- and dose-dependent manners. In contrast, the purified 28 kDa CP did not induce superoxide production and degranulation. These findings suggest that the 27 kDa CP secreted by PwNEM induces superoxide production and degranulation of human eosinophils, which may be involved in eosinophil-mediated tissue inflammatory responses during the larval migration in human paragonimiasis.