Nematode ascarosides attenuate mammalian type 2 inflammatory responses

Mounting evidence suggests that helminthic infection can protect against disorders of immune dysregulation. Administration of live parasites or their excretory/secretory products (ES) has shown therapeutic effects across a wide range of animal models for immune disorders including asthma. Human clinical trials of live parasite ingestion for the treatment of immune disorders have produced promising results, yet concerns persist regarding ingestion of pathogenic organisms and unpredictable immune responses towards their protein components. Despite extensive efforts toward defining active components of ES, no small molecules with immune regulatory activity have been identified from nematodes. OBJECTIVE: Here we have aimed to identify the effect of evolutionarily conserved family of nematode pheromones called ascaroside, which is a small molecule produced by several animal parasitic nematode species, on pulmonary immune response and asthma severity in mice. Overall design: CD45+ immune cells and Epithelial cells collected from the lung from mice sensitized with OVA/Alum only or OVA/Alum plus ascr#7 followed by intranasal OVA challenge