الفهرس 
Schistosoma mansoni parasitological and immunological parameters in mice vaccinated with cathepsin b-based peptide
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Abstract
Cysteine peptidases (CPs), including papain, induced highly significant (P < 0.0001)
protection (50-60%) against Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium infection via
skewing the immune responses toward the type 2 axis, considered a major mechanism for
schistosome elimination. Protective potential of CPs was demonstrated in their
enzymatically active and inactive forms. We concluded that there are peptides shared
between CPs responsible for their protective activity. A peptide shared by CPs, namely S.
mansoni cathepsin B, was synthesized as a tetra branched MAP construct (MAP-1), used
in two independent protection experiments in CD-1 mice, in parallel with papain, and
found to elicit remarkable (P ˂ 0.05- ˂ 0.001) reduction in challenge S. mansoni worm
recovery, slightly lower than papain. Contrary to papain, MAP-1 elicited increase in
challenge worm fecundity and liver and small intestine egg burden. The immune
responses elicited by papain and MAP-1 peptide were type 2-related cytokines and
antibodies (IgG1 and IgA). Nevertheless, MAP-1 cannot be considered in a CP-based
multi-peptide schistosomiasis vaccine unless combined with determinants that induce
immune responses conducive to death of the parasite ova.