ADIPOQ and helminthiasis: To further investigate whether the intestinal epithelial cells could be the main producer of adiponectin in response to helminth infection, we separated a population of intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) and laminar propria cells (LPL) from mice infected with T. spiralis for 7 days and evaluated the adiponectin expression using quantitative real-time PCR and western blot analysis.