Schistosoma japonicum-derived peptide SJMHE1 promotes peripheral nerve repair through a macrophage-dependent mechanism.

Peripheral nerve injury, a disease that affects 1 million people worldwide every year, occurs when peripheral nerves are destroyed by injury, systemic illness, infection, or an inherited disorder. Indeed, repair of damaged peripheral nerves is predominantly mediated by type 2 immune responses. Given that helminth parasites induce type 2 immune responses in hosts, we wondered whether helminths or helminth-derived molecules might have the potential to improve peripheral nerve repair. Here, we demonstrated that schistosome-derived SJMHE1 promoted peripheral myelin growth and functional regeneration via a macrophage-dependent mechanism and simultaneously increased the induction of M2 macrophages. Our findings highlight the therapeutic potential of schistosome-derived SJMHE1 for improving peripheral nerve repair. AJTR