Antibody response in mice infected with Mesocestoides vogae (syn. Mesocestoides corti) tetrathyridia after treatment with praziquantel and liposomised glucan

The therapeutic effect of praziquantel (PZQ) involves synergy with the humoral immune response during helminth infections, which is modulated by parasitic antigens. During experimental murine infections with the larval stage of cestoda Mesocestoides vogae (syn. M. corti), dynamic changes in the IgG and IgM antibody serum levels to both soluble somatic and secretory larval antigens were investigated after administration of PZQ alone and after its co-administration with the immunomodulator (1 -> 3)-beta-D-glucan entrapped in liposomes (lip.glucan). During the 2 weeks of follow-up after termination of therapy, specific IgG and IgM serum levels to the somatic antigens (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test) significantly decreased, whereas concentrations of the antibodies to the secretory antigens moderately increased, both in comparison with the control. Moreover, the number of immunogenic larval antigens (analysed by Western blot) was higher after combined therapy in comparison with single drug administration, which correlated with the intensity of reduction of the larval counts in the liver and peritoneal cavity of mice. Our data showed that administration of PZQ alone and in combination with lip.glucan resulted in marked changes in the dynamics of IgG and IgM antibodies to the somatic larval antigens, which were probably induced by the newly exposed antigens. In this respect, glucan can enhance chemotherapeutic activity of PZQ against larval cestodes by means of stimulation of the macrophage/monocyte effector functions, which seemed to contribute to the more intense larval damage.