Elevated matrix Metalloproteinase-9 associated with reduced cerebellar perineuronal nets in female mice with toxoplasmosis.

ABSTRACT: Brain infection by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii is thought to impair learning and memory, although the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Recent studies suggest that perineuronal nets (PNNs) and their key regulator, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), have essential roles in synaptic plasticity associated with learning and memory. We investigated their roles in a chronic toxoplasmosis model using female mice. In mice with a high parasite burden of chronic infection, we found that MMP-9 expression was increased in the peripheral circulation and the brain. A correlation was found between the serum levels of MMP-9 and antibodies to the Toxoplasma matrix antigen MAG1, a surrogate marker for Toxoplasma tissue cysts in the brain. MMP-9 elevation was accompanied

SUBMITTER: Xiao J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10844038 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature