Figure 7. Caspase-3 activity in Caco-2 cells incubated with Giardia.

A) Caco-2 cells grown in 6-well inserts or plates to confluence were inoculated with 350,000 parasites/cm² Giardia trophozoites. Caspase-3 activation as a marker for apoptosis was measured at 1 and 5 days using the Abcam Caspase-3 assay kit. Camptothecin (5 µM) was used as an inducer of caspase-3 activation. The data represent the percent change over control ± SEM assayed three times in duplicate. (n = 3) (p = 0.0071) B) Parasite density at 5 days in the plate and insert culture conditions.