Use of Echinostoma spp. in studies on chemotherapy and metabolic profiling.

In this chapter we briefly summarize the use of echinostomes in chemotherapeutic studies and provide a comprehensive overview of metabolic profiling using an Echinostoma caproni-mouse model. In vitro and in vivo assays with Echinostoma spp. are suitable means for screening of anthelminthic drugs. Indeed, these models have been utilized for more than three decades and play an important role for discovery and development of novel drugs and treatment options against major trematode infections. Rapid diagnosis of infection and monitoring of disease progression and resolution are of pivotal importance for personalized health care and disease control at the population level. Spectroscopic profiling of the host metabolism, in combination with multivariate statistical methods, is a powerful approach for biomarker discovery that give rise for diagnosis and prognosis of infection and disease stages, and for subtle monitoring control interventions. The comparison of biofluids and tissue samples obtained from mice experimentally infected with E. caproni and from noninfected control animals revealed a high number of biomarkers in different kinds of biofluids (e.g., blood plasma, fecal water, and urine). Several tissues also showed significant metabolic changes after a chronic infection with E. caproni. While urine and blood plasma are obvious and convenient choices for diagnostic purposes, the study on tissue samples complemented the information extracted from biofluids and aided in a deeper understanding of biochemical mechanisms of disease.