Chorionic Gonadotropin Hormone Receptors on Taenia solium and Taenia crassiceps Cysticerci in Culture

Hormones play a significant role in murine Taenia crassiceps cysticercosis, and they may also participate in the susceptibility to Taenia solium cysticercosis. In the present study, in vitro effects are reported for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) on the larval stages of T. crassiceps (WFU strain) and T. solium. Our results reveal the presence of receptors for hCG in different developmental phases of both cultured parasites. On day 30, both taeniid species had the highest percentage of receptors in the neck, strobila, and suckers, but these receptors decreased by day 60, delimiting the segments and the exterior of the developing proglottids in T. solium. At the same time, there was a large number of hCG receptors in the area of the presumptive cirrus organ and in calcareous corpuscles within the parenchyma. This is the first report detecting receptors for hCG on different larval stages of T. crassiceps and T. solium. A direct effect of hCG could be recognized by the cysticerci as a factor contributing to the growth and development of T. crassiceps and T. solium cysticerci, respectively.