Toxoplasma gondii chronic infection decreases visceral nociception through peripheral opioid receptor signaling.
By eliciting immune activation in the digestive tract, intestinal pathogens may perturb gut homeostasis. Some gastrointestinal infections can indeed increase the risk of developing post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS). Intriguingly, the prevalent foodborne parasite Toxoplasma gondii has...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2025-04-01
|
| Series: | PLoS Pathogens |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013106 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849714593675345920 |
|---|---|
| author | Alexis Audibert Xavier Mas-Orea Léa Rey Marcy Belloy Emilie Bassot Louise Battut Gilles Marodon Frederick Masson Matteo Serino Nicolas Cenac Gilles Dietrich Chrystelle Bonnart Nicolas Blanchard |
| author_facet | Alexis Audibert Xavier Mas-Orea Léa Rey Marcy Belloy Emilie Bassot Louise Battut Gilles Marodon Frederick Masson Matteo Serino Nicolas Cenac Gilles Dietrich Chrystelle Bonnart Nicolas Blanchard |
| author_sort | Alexis Audibert |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | By eliciting immune activation in the digestive tract, intestinal pathogens may perturb gut homeostasis. Some gastrointestinal infections can indeed increase the risk of developing post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS). Intriguingly, the prevalent foodborne parasite Toxoplasma gondii has not been linked to the development of PI-IBS and the impact of this infection on colon homeostasis remains ill-defined. We show in a mouse model that latent T. gondii decreases visceral nociceptive responses in an opioid signaling-dependent manner. Despite the accumulation of Th1 and cytotoxic T cells in the colon of latently infected mice, the selective invalidation of enkephalin gene in T cells ruled out the involvement of T cell-derived enkephalins in hypoalgesia. These findings provide clues about how this widespread infection durably shapes the gut immune landscape and modifies intestinal physiological parameters. They suggest that in contrast to other gut microbes, T. gondii infection could be negatively associated with abdominal pain. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c1ea8a9cae6e44c98d3cba712f9fe638 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1553-7366 1553-7374 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS Pathogens |
| spelling | doaj-art-c1ea8a9cae6e44c98d3cba712f9fe6382025-08-20T03:13:39ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS Pathogens1553-73661553-73742025-04-01214e101310610.1371/journal.ppat.1013106Toxoplasma gondii chronic infection decreases visceral nociception through peripheral opioid receptor signaling.Alexis AudibertXavier Mas-OreaLéa ReyMarcy BelloyEmilie BassotLouise BattutGilles MarodonFrederick MassonMatteo SerinoNicolas CenacGilles DietrichChrystelle BonnartNicolas BlanchardBy eliciting immune activation in the digestive tract, intestinal pathogens may perturb gut homeostasis. Some gastrointestinal infections can indeed increase the risk of developing post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS). Intriguingly, the prevalent foodborne parasite Toxoplasma gondii has not been linked to the development of PI-IBS and the impact of this infection on colon homeostasis remains ill-defined. We show in a mouse model that latent T. gondii decreases visceral nociceptive responses in an opioid signaling-dependent manner. Despite the accumulation of Th1 and cytotoxic T cells in the colon of latently infected mice, the selective invalidation of enkephalin gene in T cells ruled out the involvement of T cell-derived enkephalins in hypoalgesia. These findings provide clues about how this widespread infection durably shapes the gut immune landscape and modifies intestinal physiological parameters. They suggest that in contrast to other gut microbes, T. gondii infection could be negatively associated with abdominal pain.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013106 |
| spellingShingle | Alexis Audibert Xavier Mas-Orea Léa Rey Marcy Belloy Emilie Bassot Louise Battut Gilles Marodon Frederick Masson Matteo Serino Nicolas Cenac Gilles Dietrich Chrystelle Bonnart Nicolas Blanchard Toxoplasma gondii chronic infection decreases visceral nociception through peripheral opioid receptor signaling. PLoS Pathogens |
| title | Toxoplasma gondii chronic infection decreases visceral nociception through peripheral opioid receptor signaling. |
| title_full | Toxoplasma gondii chronic infection decreases visceral nociception through peripheral opioid receptor signaling. |
| title_fullStr | Toxoplasma gondii chronic infection decreases visceral nociception through peripheral opioid receptor signaling. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Toxoplasma gondii chronic infection decreases visceral nociception through peripheral opioid receptor signaling. |
| title_short | Toxoplasma gondii chronic infection decreases visceral nociception through peripheral opioid receptor signaling. |
| title_sort | toxoplasma gondii chronic infection decreases visceral nociception through peripheral opioid receptor signaling |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013106 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT alexisaudibert toxoplasmagondiichronicinfectiondecreasesvisceralnociceptionthroughperipheralopioidreceptorsignaling AT xaviermasorea toxoplasmagondiichronicinfectiondecreasesvisceralnociceptionthroughperipheralopioidreceptorsignaling AT learey toxoplasmagondiichronicinfectiondecreasesvisceralnociceptionthroughperipheralopioidreceptorsignaling AT marcybelloy toxoplasmagondiichronicinfectiondecreasesvisceralnociceptionthroughperipheralopioidreceptorsignaling AT emiliebassot toxoplasmagondiichronicinfectiondecreasesvisceralnociceptionthroughperipheralopioidreceptorsignaling AT louisebattut toxoplasmagondiichronicinfectiondecreasesvisceralnociceptionthroughperipheralopioidreceptorsignaling AT gillesmarodon toxoplasmagondiichronicinfectiondecreasesvisceralnociceptionthroughperipheralopioidreceptorsignaling AT frederickmasson toxoplasmagondiichronicinfectiondecreasesvisceralnociceptionthroughperipheralopioidreceptorsignaling AT matteoserino toxoplasmagondiichronicinfectiondecreasesvisceralnociceptionthroughperipheralopioidreceptorsignaling AT nicolascenac toxoplasmagondiichronicinfectiondecreasesvisceralnociceptionthroughperipheralopioidreceptorsignaling AT gillesdietrich toxoplasmagondiichronicinfectiondecreasesvisceralnociceptionthroughperipheralopioidreceptorsignaling AT chrystellebonnart toxoplasmagondiichronicinfectiondecreasesvisceralnociceptionthroughperipheralopioidreceptorsignaling AT nicolasblanchard toxoplasmagondiichronicinfectiondecreasesvisceralnociceptionthroughperipheralopioidreceptorsignaling |