Abstract
BACKGROUND: Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that migrates through macrophages or dendritic cells to neurons and nerve cells. Glia Maturation Factor (GMF) is a pre-inflammatory protein that is expressed in the central nervous system (CNS). GMFβ expression is related to IL33 and CCL2 and SDF1 in some neurodegenerative diseases. According to the importance of GMFβ in neurodegenerative diseases and its association with IL33, CCL2 and SDF1 genes, this study was designed to determine the level of expression of these genes in the brains of mice with acute toxoplasmosis. METHODS: Tachyzoites of T. gondii RH strains were injected to 5 Swiss Albino mice. At the same time, healthy mice were inoculated with the Phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Their brains were removed and kept at -70 °C in order to RNA extraction, cDNA syntheses and Real Time PCR performance. The level of gene expression was investigated with SYBR Green Quantitative Real-Time PCR. RESULTS: GMFβ gene expression increased significantly (P=0.003) 3.26 fold in Toxoplasma infected mice in comparison to the control. GMFβ gene expression was associated with increased expression level of IL33, CCL2, and SDF1 genes. CONCLUSION: Considering the prominent role of GMFβ in CNS as well as the immune system, the elevation of GMFβ, IL33, CCL2 and SDF1 genes expression in the early stage of toxoplasmosis is associated with the occurrence of neuropathological alterations. Detection of these genes as an indication of brain damage in the early stages of Toxoplasma infection can prevent neurodegenerative disorders following acquired toxoplasmosis.