SHIH-CHAN LAIKE-MIN CHEN2026-10-162026-10-162005-02-01Pure ID: 15455305Pure UUID: 75afbb9d-84d9-45ee-ba66-de9d9c119d4d10.1007/s00436-004-1271-9https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/15044353952https://scholars.csmu.edu.tw/handle/123456789/30213The relationships between inflammation in organs with Toxocara canis larval migration and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) were investigated following the infection of mice with 1,000 infective eggs. Gelatinase activity was defined by gelatin zymography, optimum pH, inhibitor specificity and Western blot analysis. MMP-9 activity was present in the lungs, liver, muscles, and brain during T. canis larval migration. This enzyme had a molecular weight of about 94 kDa and showed maximum activity in the pH range of 6-8. The increased MMP-9 proteinases coincided with larval recovery and the degree of inflammation among the four organs. These results suggest that MMP-9 may be associated with the inflammatory reaction to larval toxocariasis during early migration, and may therefore be a useful marker during T. canis larvae migration.8enjournal article