Analysis of the chemical components of hydatid fluid from Echinococcus granulosus

Introduction: The aim of this study was to explore the environment of Echinococcus granulosus (E. granulosus) protoscolices and their relationship with their host. Methods: Proteins from the hydatid-cyst fluid (HCF) from E. granulosus were identified by proteomics. An inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES) was used to determine the elements, an automatic biochemical analyzer was used to detect the types and levels of biochemical indices, and an automatic amino acid analyzer was used to detect the types and levels of amino acids in the E. granulosus HCF. Results: I) Approximately 30 protein spots and 21 peptide mass fingerprints (PMF) were acquired in the two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) pattern of hydatid fluid; II) We detected 10 chemical elements in the cyst fluid, including sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper, and zinc; III) We measured 19 biochemical metabolites in the cyst fluid, and the amount of most of these metabolites was lower than that in normal human serum; IV) We detected 17 free amino acids and measured some of these, including alanine, glycine, and valine. Conclusions: We identified and measured many chemical components of the cyst fluid, providing a theoretical basis for developing new drugs to prevent and treat hydatid disease by inhibiting or blocking nutrition, metabolism, and other functions of the pathogen.