Association of Neuroblastoma (NB) SH-SY5Y Cells with Antibodies of Parasitic Origin (Anti-Acanthamoeba and Anti-Toxocara canis)

It is little known that <i>Acanthamoeba</i> trophozoites and <i>Toxocara canis</i> eggs can reduce tumors in vitro and animal models. Although this has been known for many years, the mechanism that induces the antitumor effect in these parasites is still not known. We employed Western blot (WB) and immunofluorescence (IFC) by confocal microscopy to explore the potential protein binding between neuroblastoma (NB) SH-SY5Y cells and anti-<i>Acanthamoeba</i> and anti-<i>Toxocara canis</i> antibodies. Using WB, we detected two fragments of 70 kDa and 60 kDa recognized by the anti-<i>Acanthamoeba</i> antibodies, and two fragments of 115 kDa and 70 kDa recognized by the anti-<i>Toxocara canis</i> antibodies. In both cases, the IFC results were positive in the cell membrane of the SH-SY5Y cells. Our findings suggest a potential overlap of similar molecules between these parasites and tumor cells, which may contribute to tumor elimination. Investigating the relationship between anti-<i>Acanthamoeba</i> and anti-<i>Toxocara canis</i> antibodies in neoplastic cells could provide evidence for the future use of these anti-parasitic antibodies in targeting NB or other cancers.