Abstract: The assay was aimed to explore the early cytokine profiles in hepatic mononuclear cell from mice infected with Fasciola hepatica. Mice were classed into 2 groups, infected and non-infected. In each group, mice were treated or untreated with IL-4R α antibodies, respectively. Hepatic mononuclear cells were harvested and cultured. The supernatant was used to measure the cytokine levels and the livers were used to measure mRNA of IL-4 and IL-12P40 by Real-time PCR. Results demonstrated that the profiles of IL-4 and IL-5 were similar. Both were quite low without infection of F.hepatica whatever the antibodies were treated or not. However, when mice were infected, both cytokines in mice without antibody were significantly higher than mice treated with antibody (P<0.05). The IL-13 showed different profile to IL-4 with the high level in mice treated with antibody. IFN-γ increased when mice were infected, but no differences were found when mice were treated or untreated with antibody (P>0.05). The mRNA level of IL-4 in mice treated with antibody but uninfected with F.hepatica was significantly lower than wild type mice (P<0.05). However, it was extremly significantly higher in mice infected but untreated with antibody than mice that infected and treated with antibody (P<0.01). mRNA level of IL-12P40 showed no differences between groups when mice were infected with F.hepatica. Our data showed that IL-4Rα was crucial to the expressions of IL-4 and IL-5, but not to the IL-13 and IFN-γ during the acute phase of F.hepatica infection.

Key words: Fasciola hepatica; IL-4Rα; hepatic mononuclear cell; cytokines