Protozoan parasites have led to worldwide devastation because of their ability to cause infectious diseases. They have evolved as successful pathogens in part because of their remarkable and sophisticated ways to evade innate host defenses. This holds true for both intracellular and extracellular parasites that deploy multiple strategies to circumvent innate host defenses for their survival. The different strategies protozoan parasites use include hijacking the host cellular signaling pathways and transcription factors. In particular, the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway seems to be an attractive target for different pathogens owing to their central role in regulating prompt innate immune responses in host defense. NF-κB is a ubiquitous transcription factor that plays an indispensable role not only in regulating immediate immune responses against invading pathogens but is also a critical regulator of cell proliferation and survival. The major immunomodulatory components include parasite surface and secreted proteins/enzymes and stimulation of host cells intracellular pathways and inflammatory caspases that directly or indirectly interfere with the NF-κB pathway to thwart immune responses that are directed for containment and/or elimination of the pathogen. To showcase how protozoan parasites exploits the NF-κB signaling pathway, this review highlights recent advances from Entamoeba histolytica and other protozoan parasites in contact with host cells that induce outside-in and inside-out signaling to modulate NF-κB in disease pathogenesis and survival in the host.

原生动物寄生虫因其引起传染病的能力而导致世界范围内的破坏。它们已经进化为成功的病原体，部分原因是它们以非凡而复杂的方式逃避先天宿主防御。这适用于细胞内和细胞外寄生虫，它们采用多种策略来规避先天宿主防御以求生存。原生动物寄生虫使用的不同策略包括劫持宿主细胞信号通路和转录因子。特别是，核因子-κB (NF-κB) 通路似乎是不同病原体的一个有吸引力的目标，因为它们在调节宿主防御中的先天免疫反应方面具有核心作用。NF-κB 是一种普遍存在的转录因子，不仅在调节针对入侵病原体的即时免疫反应中发挥不可或缺的作用，而且还是细胞增殖和存活的关键调节因子。主要的免疫调节成分包括寄生虫表面和分泌的蛋白质/酶以及对宿主细胞细胞内途径和炎症半胱天冬酶的刺激，这些途径直接或间接干扰 NF-κB 途径以阻止旨在遏制和/或消除病原体的免疫反应。为了展示原生动物寄生虫如何利用 NF-κB 信号通路，本综述重点介绍了来自 主要的免疫调节成分包括寄生虫表面和分泌的蛋白质/酶以及对宿主细胞细胞内途径和炎症半胱天冬酶的刺激，这些途径直接或间接干扰 NF-κB 途径以阻止旨在遏制和/或消除病原体的免疫反应。为了展示原生动物寄生虫如何利用 NF-κB 信号通路，本综述重点介绍了来自 主要的免疫调节成分包括寄生虫表面和分泌的蛋白质/酶以及对宿主细胞细胞内途径和炎症半胱天冬酶的刺激，这些途径直接或间接干扰 NF-κB 途径以阻止旨在遏制和/或消除病原体的免疫反应。为了展示原生动物寄生虫如何利用 NF-κB 信号通路，本综述重点介绍了来自溶组织内阿米巴 和其他与宿主细胞接触的原生动物寄生虫会诱导由外向内和由内向外的信号传导，从而在宿主的疾病发病机制和存活中调节 NF-κB。