Asthma is a chronic inflammatory lung disease with worldwide prevalence. It has been estimated that more than 300 million people suffer from asthma worldwide and the numbers are increasing. Epidemiological evidences have demonstrated a negative association between helminths infections or their products and the development of inflammatory diseases such as autoimmune and allergic diseases, providing a strong case for the involvement of helminths infections in this respect. The mechanisms underlying this protection may include regulatory cells and cytokines. Both helminths infection and allergic diseases drive the immune system toward the Th2 type responses. Studies of the molecular mechanisms associated with allergic diseases have lead to a better understanding of the complex processes that underline their pathogenesis. According to the modified Hygiene Hypothesis, helminths play a major role in suppressing bystander immune responses to allergens, and both epidemiological and experimental studies suggest that the tropical parasitic nematodes elicit such effects. The focus of our study is to investigate the prophylactic and protective effects of a non human endemic nematode parasite, Marshalagia Marshali, in suppression of allergic airway inflammation (AAI) in a mouse model using ovalbumin (OVA) as an allergen. AAI is elicited using OVA/adjuvant sensitizations with subsequent OVA aerosolic challenge. Somatic and excretory-secretory antigens of Marshalagia Marshali are used to suppress the AAI. Th1/Th2/Treg responses, OVA-specific IgE and toll like receptors (TLRs) expression as well as airway hyper-sensitivity and lung pathology are to be measured during the course of this study. Our results will demonstrate that helminths derived products leads to a suppression of OVA-induced AAI. This research will provide evidence that helminths derived products could be incorporated into treatment strategies that specifically regulate and suppress the immune responses in Asthmatic patients.

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