Abstract:
Helminths can adapt to environmental conditions in the host, utilising anaerobic processes like fermentation and malate dismutation to produce energy from carbohydrate. Although targeting carbohydrate metabolism is an established therapeutic strategy to combat helminth infection, questions remain over the metabolic pathways they employ as adults to survive and evade host immunity. Helminths also use amino acid, polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), and cholesterol metabolism, a possible strategy favouring the production of immunomodulatory compounds that may influence survival in the host. Here, we discuss the significance of these differing metabolic pathways and whether targeting of helminth metabolic pathways may allow for the development of novel anthelmintics.
摘要:
蠕虫能适应宿主的环境条件,利用发酵和苹果酸歧化等厌氧过程从碳水化合物中产生能量。尽管靶向碳水化合物代谢是对抗蠕虫感染的既定治疗策略,他们作为成年人生存和逃避宿主免疫的代谢途径仍然存在疑问。蠕虫也使用氨基酸,多不饱和脂肪酸(PUFA),和胆固醇代谢,一种可能的策略,有利于产生可能影响宿主生存的免疫调节化合物。这里,我们讨论了这些不同的代谢途径的意义,以及蠕虫代谢途径的靶向是否可以开发新型驱虫药。