Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of 9NHAc-GD2 Antigen to Overcome the Hydrolytic Instability of O-Acetylated-GD2 for Anticancer Conjugate Vaccine Development.

Ganglioside GD2 is an attractive tumor-associated carbohydrate antigen for anti-cancer vaccine development. However, its low immunogenicity and the significant side effects observed with anti-GD2 antibodies present significant obstacles for vaccines. To overcome these, a new GD2 derivative bearing an N-acetamide (NHAc) at its non-reducing end neuraminic acid (9NHAc-GD2) has been designed to mimic the 9-O-acetylated-GD2 (9OAc-GD2), a GD2 based antigen with a restricted expression on tumor cells. 9NHAc-GD2 was synthesized efficiently via a chemoenzymatic method and subsequently conjugated with a powerful carrier bacteriophage Qß. Mouse immunization with the Qß-9NHAc-GD2 conjugate elicited strong and long-lasting IgG antibodies, which were highly selective toward 9NHAc-GD2 with little cross-recognition of GD2. Immunization of canines with Qß-9NHAc-GD2 showed the construct was immunogenic in canines with little adverse effects, paving the way for future clinical translation to humans.

In Vitro Immunological Effects of CXCR3 Inhibitor AMG487 on Dendritic Cells.

AMG 487 is the targeted blocker of chemokine receptor CXCR3 and improves inflammatory symptoms by blocking the inflammatory cycle. Here we investigated whether AMG 487 affects dendritic cell (DC) biology and function. The expression of co-stimulatory markers on DCs was reduced, indicating the semi-mature state of DC when AMG 487 was added throughout the in vitro differentiation period. Additionally, when added solely during the final lipopolysaccharide-induced activation step, AMG 487 inhibited DC activation, as demonstrated by a decreased expression of activation markers. AMG487 also promoted the expression of PD-L2 and impaired the ability to induce antigen-specific T cell responses. Our results demonstrated that AMG 487 significantly affects DC maturity in vitro and function leading to impaired T cell activation, inducing DCs to have characteristics similar to tolerogenic DCs. AMG 487 may directly play an immunomodulatory role during DC development and functional shaping.

Cell-penetrating peptide-linked polymers as carriers for mucosal vaccine delivery.

We evaluated the potential of poly(N-vinylacetamide-co-acrylic acid) modified with d-octaarginine, which is a typical cell-penetrating peptide, as a carrier for mucosal vaccine delivery. Mice were nasally inoculated four times every seventh day with PBS containing ovalbumin with or without the d-octaarginine-linked polymer. The polymer enhanced the production of ovalbumin-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) and secreted immunoglobulin A (IgA) in the serum and the nasal cavity, respectively. Ovalbumin internalized into nasal epithelial cells appeared to stimulate IgA production. Ovalbumin transferred to systemic circulation possibly enhanced IgG production. An equivalent dose of the cholera toxin B subunit (CTB), which was used as a positive control, was superior to the polymer in enhancing antibody production; however, dose escalation of the polymer overcame this disadvantage. A similar immunization profile was also observed when ovalbumin was replaced with influenza virus HA vaccines. The polymer induced a vaccine-specific immune response identical to that induced by CTB, irrespective of the antibody type, when its dose was 10 times that of CTB. Our cell-penetrating peptide-linked polymer is a potential candidate for antigen carriers that induce humoral immunity on the mucosal surface and in systemic circulation when nasally coadministered with antigens.

Development of a homogeneous immunoassay for the detection of zolpidem in urine.

Sleep disorders are common conditions that affect about 40 million people in the U.S every year, the most common of which is insomnia, which is characterized by difficulty falling or staying asleep. Zolpidem (Ambien) is a non-benzodiazepine prescription drug that is used to treat insomnia and is often preferred over the commonly used benzodiazepines due to a lesser side effect profile. This is because the non-benzodiazepine binding is more selective to GABA-A receptors versus the non-selective binding of benzodiazepines. With the increasing popularity of non-benzodiazepines, drug abuse and driving-while-impaired cases involving sleep-inducing drugs have risen. Therefore, a highly sensitive and rapid homogeneous immunoassay (EMIT-type assay) has been developed for the detection of zolpidem in urine. The zolpidem antibody is highly specific and does not cross-react with other newer sleep aids such as zopiclone and zaleplon. This assay has a detection limit of 5 ng/mL for zolpidem in urine. Further evaluation of this assay using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) analysis of authentic urine samples demonstrated that the accuracy of the assay is greater than 90%. Because this assay is designed to measure the non-conjugated drug in urine, it resulted in simplification for gas chromatography-MS or LC-MS-MS confirmation methods that do not require urine hydrolysis before solid-phase extraction or liquid-liquid extraction.

The biphasic immunoregulation of pyrimidylpiperazine (Y-40138) is IL-10 sensitive and requires NF-kappa B targeting in the alveolar epithelium.

1. Pyrimidylpiperazine (Y-40138), a synthetic derivative of N-[1-(4-([4-(pyrimidin-2-yl)piperazin-1-yl]methyl)phenyl)cyclopropyl] acetamide, is a novel dual regulator of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in vivo. The aim of the present study was to determine the signal transduction mechanisms implicated in vitro. 2. In alveolar epithelial cells, pre-treatment (30 min) with Y-40138 reduced LPS-induced biosynthesis of IL-1 beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha, an effect paralleled by up-regulating an anti-inflammatory counter-loop mediated through IL-10. 3. This differential regulation of pro- and anti-inflammatory signals was accompanied by an inhibition of the nuclear localization of selective NF-kappa B subunits, particularly NF-kappa B(1) (p50), RelA (p65), the major transactivating member of the Rel family, RelB (p68) and c-Rel (p75). In addition, Y-40138 blockaded, in a dose-dependent manner, the LPS-induced nuclear activation of NF-kappa B. 4. Analysis of the upstream pathway involved in Y-40138-dependent retardation of LPS-induced NF-kappa B translocation/activation revealed the involvement of an I kappa B-alpha sensitive pathway. Pre-treatment with Y-40138 ameliorated LPS-induced degradation of I kappa B-alpha in the cytosolic compartment and retarded its phosphorylation, suggesting the involvement of an upstream kinase. 5. Recombinant IL-10 (0 -- 10 ng ml(-1)) blockaded, in a dose-dependent manner, LPS-induced biosynthesis of IL-1 beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha. Furthermore, rhIL-10 reduced the DNA binding activity of NF-kappa B. Immunoneutralization of endogenous IL-10 by a polyclonal alpha IL-10 (5 microg ml(-1)) reversed the inhibitory effect of Y-40138 on pro-inflammatory cytokines and partially restored the DNA binding activity of NF-kappa B. 6. These results indicate that Y-40138 mediated dual immunoregulation of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines is IL-10 sensitive and mediated through the I kappa B-alpha/NF-kappa B signal transduction pathway.

Hapten design in the development of competitive enyme-linked immunosorbent assays for genotoxic metabolites of alachlor.

The acetanilide compounds 2-chloro-2',6'-diethylacetanilide (CDA) and 2-hydroxy-2',6'-diethylacetanilide (HDA) are environmental degradative products of the chloroacetanilide herbicide alachlor. CDA, HDA, and alachlor are ground and surface water contaminants. CDA and HDA are genotoxic in bacterial and mammalian test systems. This paper reports hapten design in the development of two competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (cELISA) for the detection of CDA and HDA. Chloroacetanilide herbicides and other alachlor metabolites that may be present in environmental samples do not cross-react with the detection of CDA and HDA. Solid-phase extraction of CDA and HDA residues from aqueous samples results in a 1000-fold concentration factor, resulting in an effective detection limit of 15 pg/mL for both assays. The specificity of the cELISAs required preservation of the degree of substitution of the acetanilide moiety in the hapten design. The hapten synthesis strategies are suitable for metabolites of other chloroacetanilide herbicides (i.e., acetochlor, butachlor, metolachlor, and propachlor).

Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against urea derivatives.

A panel of monoclonal antibodies was generated against the urea-based hapten N-(2-N-chloroacetylaminobenzyl)-N'-4-chlorophenylurea as a tool for building up sensitive immune assays to detect urea derivatives and to screen them for catalytic antibodies (Abs). Eleven hybridomas were obtained that produced Abs reactive to the hapten. All Abs were of IgG class. Cross reactivities of the Abs to different haptens were examined, especially to a possible transition-state analog. Only four of the hybridomas (R2-DA10/F7, R2-GE7/H2, R2-HC2/A5, R2-HD6/F7) produced Abs crossreactive with the transition-state analog. From the 11 hybridomas, hybridoma B76-BF5 was chosen for further characterization. Compared to the other Abs, B76-BF5 showed the strongest binding and had a rather restricted specificity. These Abs could be used to build up a sensitive enzyme immunoassay for the detection of the hapten. All Abs were screened for crossreactivity with the pesticides monuron and diuron. No reactivity could be detected. In addition, the nucleotide sequences of the variable light and heavy chain genes of the similarly reactive Abs B76-BF5, B76-BB3, R2-DA10/F7, and R2-GA6/G3 were determined to clarify whether structure and binding specificity of these Abs showed any correlation.

The effect of Lasso herbicide on human immune function as measured by in vitro assays.

Using in vitro assays, this study was undertaken to determine whether the components of Lasso herbicide formulation had an effect on the human immune system. Mononuclear cells from human peripheral blood were exposed to analytical alachlor, alachlor conjugated to human serum albumin or Lasso formulation over a concentration range from .01 microM-1.0 microM. The effects of the test materials on the following immunological functions were determined: lymphocyte proliferation induced by mitogen or antigen; antibody synthesis of IgG and IgM isotypes in pokeweed stimulated mononuclear cell cultures; cytotoxic T cell proliferation; lysis of target cells by natural killer cells and lymphokine activated killer cells. The data demonstrated that the test compounds had no significant, dose related effect on the function of immunocompetent cells. Hence, the data suggest that the components of the Lasso formulation have no effect on the human immune system.

Effects of vehicles and elicitation concentration in contact dermatitis testing. I. Experimental contact sensitization in humans.

A study was made to evaluate the effects of vehicle and challenge concentration on response of human subjects to potential allergens. In the vehicle studies the modified Draize test was used to test the response of subjects to cinnamic aldehyde and to costus oil, administered at two skin sites, in petrolatum and in 95% ethyl alcohol. In two tests of costus oil, alcohol proved to be more effective in eliciting a response than petrolatum; on the other hand, in one test with cinnamic aldehyde, no difference in results was obtained with these two vehicles. In the concentration studies, subjects known to be sensitive to the test substance were tested by the Al test with costus oil (three concentrations), chloracetamide (four concentrations), or thimerosal (three concentrations); petrolatum was used as the vehicle in each case. Results of the vehicle test showed no compelling reason for the selection of one vehicle rather than another. Results of the concentration tests indicated that concentration does have an effect on the intensity and frequency of reactions to potential allergens.