The use of the Crude Extract of Immuno-activated C. Elegans as a Treatment for Inflammation

Abstract

Helminth Therapy is the practice of infecting oneself with parasites to cure ailments. The hypothesis was formed in the 20th century and experimentation began around 10 years ago. The main mechanism is the idea that infection causes a shift in immune response from Th1 (inflammation promoting) to Th2 (inflammation reducing) as the body uses Th2 response to fight against the helminth. However, self-infection comes with side effects. This study aims to exploit the anti-inflammatory response whilst minimizing the risks of helminth therapy. C. elegans contain the same secretory proteins responsible for responses in conventional helminths.  Moreover, the malleable innate immune systems of C. elegans allow their genomes to be altered. By using bacterial and fungal pathogens (S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and C. albicans. This change in genome alters the secretory proteins which help fight inflammation. Crude extracts of the immuno-manipulated C. elegans proteins can be obtained and used to cause the helminth Th balance switch without the negatives of being actually infected. Inflammation will be induced in zebrafish embryos via the use of TNBS and Dextran sodium sulfate; gut architecture, goblet cell count, and leukocyte migration will be used as measures of inflammation. Results show promise as C. elegans crude extract as a treatment for inflammation as well as support for immuno-regulating the C. elegans to fight specific types of inflammation. This study explores the experimental field of helminth therapy to validate it as an alternative inflammation treatment, especially in autoimmune diseases where the Th1 cytokine levels are so prevalent.