31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the liver region and liver of mice infected with Mesocestoides vogae
In vivo 31P NMR spectra of the liver region of mice infected with Mesocestoides vogae for 24 or 133 days showed modifications in phosphorus-containing metabolite ratios when compared with those of normal mice. In acute infection (i.e., 24 days) the metabolite ratios phosphomonoesters/adenosine triphosphate (ATP), inorganic phosphate (Pi)/ATP, and phosphodiesters/ATP in the liver region significantly increased, whereas phosphocreatine (PCr)/ATP significantly decreased; PCr is a contribution from body wall overlying the liver. Most of these metabolic alterations diminished in chronically infected mice (i.e., 133 days), but the increase in the Pi/ATP ratio persisted, and the PCr/ATP ratio decreased further. Analysis of liver extracts revealed significantly higher concentrations of phosphorylethanolamine (PE), glycerolphosphorylethanolamine (GPE), and glycerolphosphorylcholine (GPC) and significantly lower concentrations of glycerol-3-phosphate, 5′-adenosine monophosphate, Pi, ATP, adenosine diphosphate (ADP), and diphosphodiesters compounds in the livers with acute infection, whereas in those with chronic infection only PE stayed elevated and Pi, ATP, and ADP concentrations decreased further. In addition, in all infected livers, two more compounds, phosphoenolpyruvate and PCr, were present in measurable amounts. The significance of these findings in terms of liver function and pathology is discussed.