The mucosal mast cell and IgA plasma cell responses to primary Trichinelia spiralis infection in BALB/c mice treated with ketotifen.

The effect of ketotifen on inflammation in the intestine during T. spiralis infection in BALB/c mice was examined. The lack of enteropathy in treated mice was accompanied to affected the size of worms and the number of worms, but did not prevent the retardation of nematodes in the intestine. Fecundity of females in vitro and the number of muscle larvae were not statistically changed after treatment. Ketotifen reduced the number of mast cells and IgA plasma cells in the intestine. As inflammatory influx, epithelial damage and IgA response are related to the action of T cells, ketotifen affected T dependent reactions in the gut of T. spiralis infected mice.