Treatment of mice with IL-12 DNA constructs leads to augmented NK activity in lungs but low IFN-gamma release -- implications for Bordetella pertussis infections following aerosol challenge.
Cytokine
; 30(3): 100-8, 2005 May 07.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-15826816
Interleukin-12 protein has been widely used experimentally in therapeutic and adjuvant settings in the treatment of different diseases including intra-cellular bacterial infections. The in vivo clearance of Bordetella pertussis infections in naive mice and in animals vaccinated with whole cell vaccine is considered to be a Th-1 dependent mechanism. Furthermore, the addition of IL-12 protein to an acellular pertussis vaccine increases the efficacy of this vaccine. Whilst the use of IL-12 protein is often beneficial, a number of problems there are associated with this cytokine including toxicities and down regulation of normal immune functions. The use of DNA constructs encoding this cytokine may be a way of achieving maximum therapeutic benefit with minimum toxicity. The aims of this study were to optimise the effects of two IL-12 DNA constructs, especially with respect to augmenting pulmonary immune responsiveness and to compare the effect of IL-12 DNA and IL-12 protein on bacterial colonisation of lungs following aerosol challenge with B. pertussis. We found that IL-12 DNA constructs augmented the activity of pulmonary NK cells but had little effect on the course of B. pertussis infections in mice. In contrast to IL-12 protein, the DNA constructs had no immunosuppressive effects on splenic lymphocyte mitogen responses.
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Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Bordetella Infections
/
Killer Cells, Natural
/
Interferon-gamma
/
Interleukin-12
/
Lung
Type of study:
Prognostic_studies
Limits:
Animals
Language:
En
Journal:
Cytokine
Journal subject:
ALERGIA E IMUNOLOGIA
Year:
2005
Document type:
Article
Country of publication: