Allergen-specific regulation of allergic rhinitis in mice by intranasal exposure to IgG1 monoclonal antibody Fab fragments against pathogenic allergen

Fab fragments (Fabs) have the ability to bind to specific antigens but lack the Fc portion for binding to receptors on immune and inflammatory cells that play a critical role in allergic diseases. In the present study, we investigated whether Fabs of an allergen-specific IgG1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) inhibited allergic rhinitis in mice. BALB/c mice sensitized by intraperitoneal injections of ovalbumin (OVA) plus alum on days 0 and 14 were intranasally challenged with OVA on days 28–30, and 35. Fabs prepared by the digestion of an anti-OVA IgG1 mAb (O1–10) with papain were also intranasally administered 15 min before each OVA challenge. The results showed that treatment with O1–10 Fabs significantly suppressed the sneezing frequency, associated with decrease of OVA-specific IgE in the serum and infiltration by mast cells in the nasal mucosa seen following the fourth antigenic challenge; additionally, the level of mouse mast cell protease-1, a marker of mast cell activation, in serum was decreased. Furthermore, infiltration of eosinophils and goblet cell hyperplasia in the nasal mucosa at the fourth challenge were inhibited by treatment with O1–10 Fabs. In conclusion, these results suggest that intranasal exposure to Fabs of a pathogenic antigen-specific IgG1 mAb may be effective in regulating allergic rhinitis through allergen capture by Fabs in the nasal mucosa before the interaction of the intact antibody and allergen.     

Characterization of Nasal Cavity‐Associated Lymphoid Tissue in Ducks

The nasal mucosa is involved in immune defense, as it is the first barrier for pathogens entering the body through the respiratory tract. The nasal cavity‐associated lymphoid tissue (NALT), which is found in the mucosa of the nasal cavity, is considered to be the main mucosal immune inductive site in the upper respiratory tract. NALT has been found in humans and many mammals, which contributes to local and systemic immune responses after intranasal vaccination. However, there are very few data on NALT in avian species, especially waterfowl. For this study, histological sections of the nasal cavities of Cherry Valley ducks were used to examine the anatomical location and histological characteristics of NALT. The results showed that several lymphoid aggregates are present in the ventral wall of the nasal cavity near the choanal cleft, whereas several more lymphoid aggregates were located on both sides of the nasal septum. In addition, randomly distributed intraepithelial lymphocytes and isolated lymphoid follicles were observed in the regio respiratoria of the nasal cavity. There were also a few lymphoid aggregates located in the lamina propria of the regio vestibularis, which was covered with a stratified squamous epithelium. This study focused on the anatomic and histological characteristics of the nasal cavity of the duck and performed a systemic overview of NALT. This will be beneficial for further understanding of immune mechanisms after nasal vaccination and the development of effective nasal vaccines for waterfowls. Anat Rec, 297:916–924, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

HIV-1CN54合成gp120基因(syngp120)的DNA疫苗鼻内免疫小鼠诱导全身的和粘膜的免疫应答

目的 初步探讨HIV-1CN54合成gp120基因的DNA疫苗（pcDNA3.1-syngp120）鼻内接种小鼠是否诱发免疫应答。方法　DNA疫苗免疫后,制备脾和肠系膜淋巴结（MLN）淋巴细胞,在体外测其增殖应答和CD8+CTL应答。间接ELISA法测血清和粘膜洗液抗原-特异的IgG和IgA抗体滴度。中和实验测免疫血清和阴道洗液是否中和 HIV-1SF33。结果 在 DNA疫苗未次免疫后,小鼠第 1周检测到脾和 MLN CD8+CTL应答较弱,而第 5周未检测到。另外,在末次免疫后的第1、5周检测到MLN而未检测到脾淋巴细胞发生增殖应答。并且检测到特异的血清IgG抗体和粘膜的（包括粪便和阴道洗液）IgA抗体,但未检测到血清的IgA抗体和粘膜的（包括粪便和阴道洗液）IgG抗体。中和实验发现末次免疫后第5周的血清能中和实验室毒株HIV-1SF33（B亚型）,而阴道洗液则没有。结论 该DNA疫苗鼻内免疫小鼠可诱导粘膜免疫应答,包括 MLN淋巴细胞增殖应答和 CD8+CTL应答,同时诱导较弱的粘膜IgA抗体应答。此外,能诱导脾CD8+CTL应答和血清IgG抗体应答。免疫血清中和HIV-1S F33,而阴道洗液不能。     

Comparative studies of local antibody and cellular immune responses to influenza infection and vaccination with live attenuated reassortant influenza vaccine (LAIV) utilizing a mouse nasal-associated lymphoid tissue (NALT) separation method

The first and most significant barrier against influenza infection is the mucosal-associated lymphoid tissue of the upper airways and rodent nasopharyngeal-associated lymphoid tissue (NALT) is considered equivalent to the lymphoid tissue of human Valdryer's ring. This study is the first attempt to analyze and compare local and systemic cellular and antibody immune responses in NALT and spleen in a mouse model of experimental influenza infection and intranasal vaccination with LAIV (live attenuated reassortant influenza vaccine). It was shown that the vaccine strain completely inherited the ability to induce high-grade local antibody responses (secretory IgA + IgG + IgM), local cellular lymphoproliferative activity, CD4⁺, CD8⁺ and CD19⁺ lymphocyte and cytokine production responses from the virulent parental strain but it had less capacity to stimulate production of serum IgG, accumulation of CD8⁺ cells and IFN-γ production in the spleen. Primary non-complicated influenza infection and primary vaccination were accompanied by a short-term (24 h) increase in the levels of lymphocyte apoptosis in both NALT and spleen. However, experimental data indicated that vaccination with LAIV and uncomplicated forms of influenza infection did not influence immune system apoptosis following a secondary immune response.     

Long-lasting protective immunity against H7N9 infection is induced by intramuscular or CpG-adjuvanted intranasal immunization with the split H7N9 vaccine

There is an urgent need for efficient vaccines against the highly pathogenic avian influenza A viral strain H7N9. The duration and intensity of the immune response to H7N9 critically impacts the epidemiology of influenza viral infection at the population level. However, the insufficient immunogenicity of H7N9 raises concerns about vaccine efficacy. In this study, we evaluated the impact of immunization routes and the adjuvant CpG on the immune response to a split H7N9 vaccine in mice. Determination of humoral and cellular responses to the vaccine revealed that after four vaccine doses, high titers of H7N9-specific serum IgG, determined by the influenza hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay, were induced through the intramuscular (i.m.) route and lasted for at least 40 weeks. CpG-adjuvanted immunization increased the levels of long-lived IFN-γ⁺ T cells and raised the Th1-biased IgG2a/IgG1 response ratio. In addition, aside from mucosal IgA, CpG-adjuvanted intranasal (i.n.) immunization elicited serum IgG and cellular responses of a similar duration and intensity to CpG-adjuvanted i.m. immunization. Mouse challenge assays demonstrated that 24 weeks following i.m. immunization without CpG or CpG-adjuvanted immunization through the i.m. or i.n. routes, both offered a high level of protection against H7N9 infection. These results indicate that efficient long-term protection against H7N9 can be achieved via the optimization of vaccination strategies, such as immunization doses, routes, and adjuvants.     

A novel vaccinological evaluation of intranasal vaccine and adjuvant safety for preclinical tests

Vaccines are administered to healthy humans, including infants, so the safety and efficacy must be very high. Therefore, evaluating vaccine safety in preclinical and clinical studies, according to World Health Organization guidelines, is crucial for vaccine development and clinical use. A change in the route of administration is considered to alter a vaccine’s immunogenicity. Several adjuvants have also been developed and approved for use in vaccines. However, the addition of adjuvants to vaccines may cause unwanted immune responses, including facial nerve paralysis and narcolepsy. Therefore, a more accurate and comprehensive strategy must be used to develope next-generation vaccines for ensuring vaccine safety. Previously, we have developed a system with which to evaluate vaccine safety in rats using a systematic vaccinological approach and 20 marker genes. In this study, we developed a safety evaluation system for nasally administered influenza vaccines and adjuvanted influenza vaccines using these marker genes. Expression of these genes increased dose-dependent manner when mice were intranasally administered the toxicity reference vaccine. When the adjuvant CpG K3 or a CpG-K3-combined influenza vaccine was administered intranasally, marker gene expression increased in a CpG-K3-dose-dependent way. A histopathological analysis indicated that marker gene expression correlated with vaccine- or adjuvant-induced phenotypic changes in the lung and nasal mucosa. We believe that the marker genes expression analyses will be useful in preclinical testing, adjuvant development, and selecting the appropriate dose of adjuvant in nasal administration vaccines.     

Ultrastructural study on the follicle-associated epithelium of nasal-associated lymphoid tissue in specific pathogen-free (SPF) and conventional environment-adapted (SPF-CV) rats

Membranous (M) cells in follicle-associated epithelium (FAE) play an important role in the mucosal immunity through transport of a variety of foreign antigens to the underlying mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT). We aimed to investigate the ultrastructure of M cells in the FAE covering nasal-associated lymphoid tissue (NALT) both in specific pathogen-free (SPF) rats and in conventional environment-adapted (SPF-CV) rats aged 8–38 wk. In NALT of both SPF and SPF-CV rats, FAE included the nonciliated microvillous cell, which appears to be an analogue of M cell previously described in other MALT. In SPF rats, M cells increased in number only slightly with age, and they maintained morphological uniformity irrespective of age. In SPF-CV rats, M cells selectively increased in number resulting in prominent expansion of FAE surface area in parallel with the duration of maintenance in a conventional environment. In addition, M cells in SPF-CV rats showed heterogeneity in their surface morphology such as the length and number of microvilli and cell surface area and outline. In addition, the FAE was stratified by various subtypes of M cells, which were characterised by several subcellular alterations including the presence of many keratin filaments, homogeneous dark bodies and extensive cytoplasmic interfoliation with wide intercellular spaces filled with amorphous proteinaceous material. These characteristics of M cells in SPF-CV rat were intimately related with a preferential influx of immunocompetent cells into the FAE, which was not seen or was very rare in SPF rats irrespective of age. The results suggest the possibility that NALT may effectively carry out the mucosal immune response against antigenic stimuli of different magnitude through the unique dynamics of M cells which seem to be influenced by the infiltration of immunocompetent cells.     

Calcium lignosulphonate: Re-evaluation of relevant endpoints to re-confirm validity and NOAEL of a 90-day feeding study in rats

A 90-day feeding study in Han/Wistar rats with calcium lignosulphonate was evaluated by the EFSA. The study was considered to be inadequate due to potentially impaired health status of the animals based upon a high incidence of minimal lymphoid hyperplasia in mesenteric/mandibular lymph nodes and Peyer’s patches, and minimal lymphoid cell infiltration in the liver in all animals. The EFSA Panel further disagreed with the conclusion that the treatment-related observation of foamy histiocytosis in mesenteric lymph nodes was non-adverse and asked whether this observation would progress to something more adverse over time. A PWG was convened to assess the sections of lymph nodes, Peyer’s patches and liver. In addition, all lymphoid tissues were re-examined. The clinical pathology and animal colony health screening data were re-evaluated. The question whether the foamy histiocytosis could progress to an adverse finding with increasing exposure duration was addressed by read-across. In conclusion, the animals on the 90-day feeding study were in good health, the study was adequate for safety evaluation, and the foamy histiocytes in the mesenteric lymph nodes were not considered adverse, but rather an adaptive response that was considered unlikely to progress to an adverse condition with time. The NOAEL was re-affirmed to be 2000 mg/kg bw/d.