Evaluation of the Role of Vitamin D3 During Salmonella Enterica Infection of Caenorhabditis Elegans

Abstract

IntroductionSerovar Typhimurium of Salmonella (S.) enteric is a gram-negative bacterium that acts by colonizing host intestinal cells and is one of the main causative agents of non-typhoid fever. Caenorhabditis (C.) elegans is a nematode that presents an innate immunity, which can be activated during infection by pathogenic microorganisms such as S. enteric. Vitamin D is an important modulator of the innate response, but the role of vitamin D as an immune modulator in the context of S. enterica infection using C. elegans model has not been explored yet.AimIn this study, we used the model organism C. elegans to investigate the protective effect of vitamin D during S. enterica infection.MethodsC. elegans worms were infected with S. enterica in the presence or absence of Vitamin D3 and biological parameters, such as nematode survival, pharyngeal beat, defecation, egg production and oviposition, lipid bodies accumulation, and body size variation, were evaluated.ResultsVitamin D3 increased survival and supported the growth of C. elegans worms during S. enterica infection in a pathogen load dependent way. Furthermore, Vitamin D3 treatment preserved the pharyngeal beat. The oviposition, egg production and defecation rates did not vary between the groups. The lipid accumulation in lipid bodies of C. elegans was reduced during S. enterica infection and restored by treatment with Vitamin D3.ConclusionVitamin D3 protects C. elegans from infection with Salmonella enterica.

Keywords: Caenorhabditis elegans, Vitamin D, Salmonella enterica, Typhimurium