廣東住血線蟲症（angiostrongyliasis）引起之神經系統疾病是由於發育中的廣東住血線蟲（Angiostrongylus cantonensis）侵入中樞神經系統所造成。在感染廣東住血線蟲的BALB/c strain小白鼠發現小腦浦金氏（Purkinje）細胞出現退化性萎縮及部分喪失的現象。基質金屬蛋白9（matrix metalloproteinase-9，MMP-9）mRNA的表現及酵素活性只在感染廣東住血線蟲的小白鼠小腦檢測到，經西方點墨法（Western blotting）確定此酵素為MMP-9，而在未感染的小白鼠則檢測不到此酵素。另外，組織免疫試驗亦證實MMP-9定位在退化的浦金氏細胞。這些結果顯示MMP-9可能與小白鼠感染廣東住血線蟲引起小腦浦金氏細胞喪失有關。
Neurological disorders in angiostrongyliasis are caused by invasion of the central nervous system by developing Angiostrongylus cantonensis larvae. After A. cantonensis infection, the cerebellums of BALB/c strain mice were observed to have a loss of Purkinje cells. Histologically, the Purkinje cells in the infected mice cerebellum were shown to have degenerative atrophy or partial loss. The matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) mRNA and activity was induced in the infected mice, and the enzyme was absent in uninfected mice. Western blotting showed that the anti-MMP-9 antibody recognized a single 94 kDa protein from A. cantonensis-infected mice. Immunohistochemistry also showed localization of MMP-9 within the degenerative Purkinje cells. These results suggest MMP-9 in mice infected with A. cantonensis may be related to the loss of Purkinje cells.
