ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Chemotherapy with praziquantel remains the only control measure to Schistosoma mansoni infections to date. The neuropeptide hormone somatostatin gives relief from gastrointestinal disturbances, liverpathology, and reduces egg production in S. mansoni infected mice, suggesting an interaction of somatostatin with the parasite rather than with the host alone. Using antibodies directed to epitopes of the seven somatostatin transmembrane receptors (SSTRs), the presence of SSTRs (or proteins that contain these epitopes) was shown on both worm- and egg-stages of S. mansoni. The present study was undertaken to investigate whether SSTRs on S. mansoni displayed homo/heterodimerisation properties as well as agonist induced down-regulation. RESULTS: Somatostatin therapy was effective after two days of treatment with no further reduction in pathology after five days of therapy. Immunohistochemistry performed on parasite sections showed reactivity of the anti-SSTR antibodies to the tegument and internal parts of adult S. mansoni worms. SDS-PAGE-Western blotting identified protein bands of 70-100 and 200-250 kDa molecular weight. Upon carboxymethylation of the sulfhydryl groups of proteins in the worm lysate, a reduction in density of the protein band at 200-250 kDa and an increase in density of the protein band at 70-100 kDa were noted. This suggested that a substantial amount of the proteins detected on the blot are present as a homo/heterodimer. A protein microarray was used to investigate whether somatostatin therapy induced receptor down- or up-regulation on the adult worm of S. mansoni. Slides spotted with primary anti-SSTR antibody were exposed to lysates of worms collected from infected C3H mice that received none, two days or five days somatostatin treatment, followed by a secondary anti-SSTR antibody coupled to a fluorophore. Comparison of the different samples in terms of parasite dilution till when the fluorescence was detectable, and the fluorescence intensity, proved that the proteins detected in the parasite worm have been down-regulated after five days of somatostatin treatment. CONCLUSION: SSTR-like GPCRs are being expressed by adult S. mansoni worms and extended somatostatin treatment may cause down-regulation of these receptors, thus reducing the therapeutic capacities of this neuropeptide. However, the presence of SSTRs on S. mansoni has not yet been proven on a genetic basis. Cross-reactivity of anti-SSTR antibodies with other G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR) thus cannot yet be excluded.