Reserpine-induced sulphomucin production by goblet cells in the jejunum of rats and its significance in the establishment of intestinal helminths

The present investigation was undertaken to determine whether reserpine-induced increase in the sulphation of the small intestinal goblet cell mucins of rats affects the establishment of intestinal helminths. When Wistar rats were given daily intraperitoneal injections of reserpine for seven days and were then implanted intraduodenally with 500 Strongyloides venezuelensis adult worms, the number of adult worms established in the intestine of reserpine-treated rats was about half of that established in controls. Furthermore, when mast cell-deficient Ws/Ws rats were treated with reserpine and implanted concurrently with S. venezuelensis and Nippostrongylus brasiliensis adult worms, the establishment of the former, but not the latter, was significantly suppressed. These results imply that the physicochemical properties of the mucins produced and secreted by the small intestinal goblet cells may be critical for the establishment of particular species of intestinal helminths.