Humoural Immunity Research Articles

Garlic (Allium sativum) and mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) powder: Investigation of performance, immune organs and humoural and cellular immune response in broilers.

Alternatives to antibiotics have been suggested by banning their use in the poultry industry. Garlic and mushroom are two important phytobiotic compounds in poultry nutrition. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of supplementing diets with garlic and mushroom powder (MP) on growth performance, humoural and cellular immunity, and white blood cell counts of broiler chickens. Five hundred and seventy-six 1-day-old male broiler chickens (Ross 308) were assigned to 8 treatments with 6 replications (12 birds per replication) based on a completely randomized design in a factorial arrangement of 4×2 with 4 levels of garlic powder (GP; 0.00%, 0.50%, 1.00%, and 1.50%) and two levels of MP (0.00% and 1.00%). No significant effects of GP and MP on the growth performance and cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity were observed (p>0.05). According to the regression equation, with increasing levels of GP in the diets, the relative weight of the bursa of Fabricius and thymus increased (p<0.05). The effect of increasing levels of GP on the Newcastle disease virus (NDV) titre was greater in the absence of MP (p<0.05). With increasing levels of GP in the diets, the percentages of lymphocytes and heterophils to lymphocytes ratio increased and reduced, respectively (p<0.05). This experiment has revealed that increasing the level of GP improved the immune response of broilers without affecting performance. The effect of increasing the level of GP on the NDV titre was more significant in the absence of MP.

Fulminant type 1 diabetes: Focusing on triggering factors.

Fulminant type 1 diabetes (FT1D) is a novel type of type 1 diabetes that is caused by extremely rapid destruction of the pancreatic β cells. Early diagnosis or prediction of FT1D is critical for the prevention or timely treatment of diabetes ketoacidosis, which can be life-threatening. Understanding its triggers or promoting factors plays an important role in the prevention and treatment of FT1D. In this review, we summarised the various triggering factors of FT1D, including susceptibility genes, immunological factors (cellular and humoural immunity), immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies, drug reactions with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms or drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome, pregnancy, viral infections, and vaccine inoculation. This review provides the basis for future research into the pathogenetic mechanisms that regulate FT1D development and progression to further improve the prognosis and clinical management of patients with FT1D.

COVID-19 vaccine failure in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and monoclonal B-lymphocytosis; humoural and cellular immunity.

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is associated with immunocompromise and high risk of severe COVID-19 disease and mortality. Monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL) patients also have immune impairment. We evaluated humoural and cellular immune responses in 181 patients with CLL (160) and MBL (21) to correlate failed seroconversion [<50AU/ml SARS-CoV-2 II IgG assay, antibody to spike protein; Abbott Diagnostics)] following each of two vaccine doses with clinical and laboratory parameters. Following first and second doses, 79.2% then 45% of CLL, and 50% then 9.5% of MBL patients respectively remained seronegative. There was significant association between post dose two antibody level with pre-vaccination reduced IgM (p<0.0001), IgG2 (p<0.035), and IgG3 (p<0.046), and CLL therapy within 12months (p<0.001) in univariate analysis. By multivariate analysis, reduced IgM (p<0.0002) and active therapy (p<0.0002) retained significance. Anti-spike protein levels varied widely and were lower in CLL than MBL patients, and both lower than in normal donors. Neutralisation activity showed anti-spike levels <1000AU/ml were usually negative for both an early viral clade and the contemporary Delta variant and 72.9% of CLL and 53.3% of MBL failed to reach levels ≥1000AU/ml. In a representative sample, ~80% had normal T-cell responses. Failed seroconversion occurred in 36.6% of treatment-naïve patients, in 78.1% on therapy, and in 85.7% on ibrutinib.

Ginseng–Astragalus–oxymatrine injection ameliorates cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppression in mice and enhances the immune activity of RAW264.7 cells

Ethnopharmacological significanceGinseng quinquefolium (L.), Astragalus membranaceus, and Sophora flavescens Aiton are popular folk medicines in many Asian countries and regions. These three traditional Chinese herbs and their extracts have been reported to considerably enhance the immune function. G. quinquefolium (L.) is considered the king of herbs in China. Traditionally, G. quinquefolium (L.) is believed to replenish vitality, which is considered as immune enhancement in modern Chinese pharmacy. One of the main uses of Astragalus is immunity enhancement; S. flavescens and oxymatrine obtained from its extract have been used to treat leukopenia. Considering the pharmacological properties of Ginseng, Astragalus, and oxymatrine, we evaluated the immunopotentiation effects of their combination, Ginseng–Astragalus–oxymatrine (GAO), in the present study. Aim of the studyThis study aimed to expand the clinical application of GAO and to preliminarily explore its mechanism of action by determining whether GAO injection can enhance immunity in vivo and in vitro. MethodsOverall, 17 major chemical components in GAO were analysed using HPLC and LC-MS. The immunity-enhancing effect of GAO was studied in the cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced immunosuppressive mouse model and RAW 264.7 cells. ResultsQuantitative analysis showed that the potential active components of GAO include at least ginsenosides, astragaloside IV, and oxymatrine. GAO could significantly improve the nonspecific immunity including the indices of the thymus and spleen, number of peripheral blood leukocytes, levels of TNF-α and IL-6, phagocytic function of macrophages, and cytotoxic activity of natural killer (NK) cells. Additionally, GAO enhanced the humoural immunity, characterised by the antibody production ability of B cells, and cellular immunity, characterised by the activity of T cells, in immunosuppressed mouse. Moreover, GAO could enhance the phagocytic and adhesion functions of RAW 264.7 cells, which may be related to the activation of reactive oxygen species and NF-κB signalling pathway. ConclusionGAO could dramatically ameliorate CTX-induced immunosuppression in mouse and stimulate the immune activity in RAW 264.7 cells possibly by activating the NF-κB signalling pathway.

Supraphysiological estradiol promotes human T follicular helper cell differentiation and favours humoural immunity during in vitro fertilization.

During pregnancy, humoural immunity is essential for protection against many extracellular pathogens; however, autoimmune diseases may be induced or aggravated. T follicular helper (Tfh) cells contribute to humoural immunity. The aim of this study was to test whether Tfh cell function can be manipulated via hormones. Seventy‐four women who underwent in vitro fertilization were recruited and divided into four groups: menstrual period (MP), controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH), embryo transfer (ET) and pregnant after embryo transfer (P). A flow cytometry analysis was performed to identify Tfh cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Bioinformatics analysis revealed a possible pathway between Tfh and B cells. Enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays were used to detect interleukin (IL)‐21 and IL‐6. The quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed to quantify BCL‐6, BACH2, XBP‐1, IRF‐4 and G protein‐coupled (GP)ER‐1 mRNA expression. Compared with the MP group, the COH, ET and P groups showed more Tfh and B cells, as well as higher IL‐21, IL‐6, BCL‐6 and BACH2 expression. Furthermore, Tfh cell frequency in PBMCs, as well as serum IL‐21 and IL‐6 levels, were all positively correlated with serum estradiol (E2) levels; the B cell percentage also correlated positively with Tfh cells in PBMCs. Combined with the bioinformatics analysis, XBP‐1, IRF‐4 and GPER‐1 expression was related to E2 levels, both in vivo and in vitro. We speculate that E2 augments Tfh cells and favours humoural immunity. This study indicates that Tfh cell regulation may be a novel target in maintaining the maternal‐foetal immune balance.

Antigen-driven autoantibody production in lungs of interstitial lung disease with autoimmune disease

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) sometimes becomes a life-threatening complication of systemic autoimmune diseases; however, little is known about the immune response in lung lesions. We aimed to investigate humoural immunity in ILD associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), sjögren's syndrome (SjS), and mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), using bronchoalveolar fluid (BALF) and serum samples from 15 patients with autoimmune disease associated-ILD. We first showed that BALF contained higher titers of disease-related autoantibodies than serum, suggesting the possibility of autoantibody production in lungs. Next, we produced 326 monoclonal antibodies from antibody-secreting cells in BALF, and the reactivity and their revertants, in which somatic hypermutations were reverted to germline, were analyzed. Among 123 antibodies from RA-ILD, 16 disease-related antibodies (anti-modified protein antibodies and rheumatoid factors) were identified, of which one antibody had both properties. The revertant antibodies changed their target modification in a complicated manner, suggesting that the antibodies were selected against various modifications in lungs. Among 146 antibodies from SjS-ILD and/or MCTD-ILD, seven anti-SSA/Ro60 antibodies and 15 anti-RNP antibodies were identified. Some of the anti-RNP antibodies recognized multiple RNP constituent proteins simultaneously, indicating that epitope spreading may progress in lungs. Our results revealed the existence of an active autoimmunity in the lungs of autoimmune disease associated-ILD.

Alarmin-activated B cells accelerate murine atherosclerosis after myocardial infarction via plasma cell-immunoglobulin-dependent mechanisms.

Myocardial infarction (MI) accelerates atherosclerosis and greatly increases the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events for many years, in particular, strokes and MIs. Because B cell-derived autoantibodies produced in response to MI also persist for years, we investigated the role of B cells in adaptive immune responses to MI. We used an apolipoprotein-E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mouse model of MI-accelerated atherosclerosis to assess the importance of B cells. One week after inducing MI in atherosclerotic mice, we depleted B cells using an anti-CD20 antibody. This treatment prevented subsequent immunoglobulin G accumulation in plaques and MI-induced accelerated atherosclerosis. In gain of function experiments, we purified spleen B cells from mice 1 week after inducing MI and transferred these cells into atherosclerotic ApoE-/- mice, which greatly increasedimmunoglobulin G (IgG) accumulation in plaque and accelerated atherosclerosis. These B cells expressed many cytokines that promote humoural immunity and in addition, they formed germinal centres within the spleen where they differentiated into antibody-producing plasma cells. Specifically deleting Blimp-1 in B cells, the transcriptional regulator that drives their terminal differentiation into antibody-producing plasma cells prevented MI-accelerated atherosclerosis. Alarmins released from infarcted hearts were responsible for activating B cells via toll-like receptors and deleting MyD88, the canonical adaptor protein for inflammatory signalling downstream of toll-like receptors, prevented B-cell activation and MI-accelerated atherosclerosis. Our data implicate early B-cell activation and autoantibodies as a central cause for accelerated atherosclerosis post-MI and identifies novel therapeutic strategies towards preventing recurrent cardiovascular events such as MI and stroke.

Dietary administration of Enterococcus faecalis affects the growth, disease resistance and immune function of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

The present study aimed to investigate the growth, disease resistance and immune function of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fed diets containing Enterococcus faecalis at levels of 0 (CG), 1 × 105 (EF1), 1 × 106 (EF2), 1 × 107 (EF3) or 1 × 108 CFU/g diet (EF4) for 56 days. The results showed that the EF3 group exhibited significantly increases in the final weight, weight gain and specific growth rate and a significantly decreased feed conversion ratio compared with those obtained from the CG group. The cumulative mortality was significantly decreased in the EF2, EF3 and EF4 groups. Serum alkaline phosphatase activity and tumour necrosis factor α gene expression in the hindgut were significantly increased in the EF1, EF2 and EF3 groups, and the serum complement 3 (C3) and C4 contents were significantly increased in the EF2, EF3 and EF4 groups. The gene expression of interleukin receptor-associated kinase-4, Toll-like receptor 2 and myeloid differentiation factor 88, claudin1 and interleukin 8 were significantly upregulated in all EF groups, and the activity of diamine oxidase was significantly reduced in the EF3 and EF4 groups. The gene expression of occludin was significantly upregulated in the EF1 and EF3 groups, and that of interleukin 10 was significantly upregulated in the EF3 group. No differences in serum lysozyme, d- lactic acid or endotoxin were found among the groups. These results showed that the optimal level of dietary E. faecalis enhanced the growth performance and disease resistance, and those effects might be related to increased humoural and intestinal immunity in tilapia. The optimal supplementation level of dietary E. faecalis for tilapia was found to be 1 × 107 CFU/g.

REPOPULATION OF FUNCTIONAL MULTILINEAGE HUMAN HAEMATOPOIETIC CELLS IN NON-IRRADIATED NBSGW MICE

Introduction: Humanised mouse models provide a platform to investigate human immune biology in vivo, reducing the need for large animal studies. Importantly they can overcome biological differences between humans and other species, reducing the uncertainty in progressing to clinical studies. In transplantation research, humanised immune system (HIS) models have provided pre-clinical evidence for human-specific therapies such as biologics and regulatory T cell therapy, which are now in clinical trials. Most HIS models lack multilineage leukocyte development, limiting accurate representation of the full alloresponse in transplantation. To address this, we assessed immune reconstitution and human skin transplant rejection in NOD,B6.SCID Il2rγ−/− KitW41/W41 (NBSGW) mice, which are capable of long-term multilineage haemopoiesis without irradiation due to the presence of an inactivating mutation in the stem cell growth factor receptor. Materials and Methods: Human cord blood CD133+ haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) were injected intravenously into non-irradiated NBSGW mice (n=20). Engraftment in blood and lymphoid organs was assessed over 20 weeks. In a separate group, HSC-engrafted mice (HIS-NBSGW) underwent allogeneic human skin transplantation 10-12 weeks post-injection (Figure 1).At the point of skin transplant rejection (or after 100 days) blood, spleen, bone marrow (BM), thymus and skin were analysed by multiparameter flow cytometry and NanoString gene expression analysis. Results and Discussion: High levels of human CD45+ cell chimerism developed reliably in the blood, BM and spleen after HSC transplantation in a dose-dependent manner (Figure 2).Multilineage engraftment was achieved, consisting of human myeloid cells, B and T lymphocytes at multiple recognised stages of development. Expression of Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) Class I and II molecules was identified on CD3- thymocytes. Antigen-presenting cells (APCs), B cells and T cells were found to be functional in in vitro assays. In mice with multilineage human leukocyte reconstitution, allogeneic human skin grafts rejected. Rejection was associated with RNA markers of upregulated immune function and elevated production of IgM, IgG and Th1, Th2 and Th17-related cytokines (Figure 3).Conclusion: The HIS-NBSGW model provides a technically straightforward research system utilising adult mice, which does not require irradiation, co-transplantation of human haematopoietic stromal tissues, or provision of human cytokines. By producing functional multilineage immune cells, it is a useful method for assessing HSC function in vivo and a framework for assessing human transplant responses encompassing the breadth of innate, cellular and humoural immunity. Clarendon Fund, University of Oxford. MRC Discovery Award, Ref: MC_PC_15069.

Immunological evaluation of invasive Lactobacillus plantarum co-expressing EtMIC2 and chicken interleukin-18 against Eimeria tenella.

Chicken coccidiosis is a protozoan parasitic disease that leads to considerable economic losses in the poultry industry. In this study, we used invasive Lactobacillus plantarum (L.P) expressing the FnBPA protein as a novel bacterial carrier for DNA delivery into epithelial cells to develop a live oral DNA vaccine. A fusion DNA vaccine co-expressing EtMIC2 and chicken IL-18 (chIL-18) was constructed and then delivered to the host by invasive L.P. Its efficacy against Eimeria tenella challenge was evaluated in chickens by examining the relative weight gain rate; caecal lesion score; OPG; anti-coccidial index (ACI); levels of EtMIC2 antibody, FnBPA, IL-4, IL-18, IFN-γ and SIgA; and proliferation ability and percentages of CD4+ and CD8+ splenocytes. The experimental results showed that chickens immunized with invasive L.P carrying the eukaryotic expression vector pValac-EtMIC2 (pValac-EtMIC2/pSIP409-FnBPA) had markedly improved immune protection against challenge compared with that of chickens immunized with non-invasive L.P (pValac-EtMIC2/pSIP409). However, invasive L.P co-expressing EtMIC2 with the chIL-18 vector exhibited the highest protection efficiency against E. tenella. These results indicate that invasive Lactobacillus-expressing FnBPA improved humoural and cellular immunity and enhanced resistance to E. tenella. The DNA vaccine delivered by invasive Lactobacillus provides a new concept and method for the prevention of E. tenella.

Low-Complexity Repetitive Epitopes of Plasmodium falciparum Are Decoys for Humoural Immune Responses.

Induction of humoural immunity is critical for clinical protection against malaria. More than 100 malaria vaccine candidates have been investigated at different developmental stages, but with limited protection. One of the roadblocks constrains the development of malaria vaccines is the poor immunogenicity of the antigens. The objective of this study was to map the linear B-cell epitopes of the Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte invasion-associated antigens with a purpose of understanding humoural responses and protection. We conducted a large-scale screen using overlapping peptide microarrays of 37 proteins from the P. falciparum parasite, most of which are invasion-associated antigens which have been tested in clinical settings as vaccine candidates, with sera from individuals with various infection episodes. Analysis of the epitome of the antigens revealed that the most immunogenic epitopes were predominantly located in the low-complexity regions of the proteins containing repetitive and/or glutamate-rich motifs in different sequence contexts. However, in vitro assay showed the antibodies specific for these epitopes did not show invasion inhibitory effect. These discoveries indicated that the low-complexity regions of the parasite proteins might drive immune responses away from functional domains, which may be an instructive finding for the rational design of vaccine candidates.

Immune responses of a CV-A16 live attenuated candidate strain and its protective effects in rhesus monkeys

ABSTRACT Coxsackievirus A16 (CV-A16) is a major causative pathogen of hand, foot, and mouth diseases (HFMDs). The licensed HFMD vaccine targets EV-A71 without cross-protection against CV-A16. Thus, a CV-A16 vaccine is needed. In this study, the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a live attenuated CV-A16 candidate, K168-8Ac, were evaluated in a rhesus monkey model. Four passages of this strain (P35, P50, P60, and P70) were administered to monkeys, and its protective effect was identified. The immunized monkeys were clinically asymptomatic, except for slight fever. Weak viraemia was observed, and two doses of vaccination were found to significantly reduce virus shedding. High levels of antibody responses were observed (1:1024–1:2048), along with a significant increase in plasma IL-8. The I.M. group showed a much stronger humoural immunity. Pathological damage was detected mainly in lung tissues, although thalamus, spinal cord, lymph nodes, and livers were involved. After the viral challenge, it was found that two doses of vaccine reduced virus shedding, and the degree of lung damage and the number of organs involved decreased as the passage number increased. Overall, a robust immune response and partial protection against CV-A16, triggered by the K168-8Ac strain, were demonstrated. This study provides valuable data for CV-A16 vaccine development.

Production of tetravalent dengue virus envelope protein domain III based antigens in lettuce chloroplasts and immunologic analysis for future oral vaccine development.

SummaryDengue fever is a mosquito (Aedes aegypti) ‐transmitted viral disease that is endemic in more than 125 countries around the world. There are four serotypes of the dengue virus (DENV 1‐4) and a safe and effective dengue vaccine must provide protection against all four serotypes. To date, the first vaccine, Dengvaxia (CYD‐TDV), is available after many decades’ efforts, but only has moderate efficacy. More effective and affordable vaccines are hence required. Plants offer promising vaccine production platforms and food crops offer additional advantages for the production of edible human and animal vaccines, thus eliminating the need for expensive fermentation, purification, cold storage and sterile delivery. Oral vaccines can elicit humoural and cellular immunity via both the mucosal and humoral immune systems. Here, we report the production of tetravalent EDIII antigen (EDIII‐1‐4) in stably transformed lettuce chloroplasts. Transplastomic EDIII‐1‐4‐expressing lettuce lines were obtained and homoplasmy was verified by Southern blot analysis. Expression of EDIII‐1‐4 antigens was demonstrated by immunoblotting, with the EDIII‐1‐4 antigen accumulating to 3.45% of the total protein content. Immunological assays in rabbits showed immunogenicity of EDIII‐1‐4. Our in vitro gastrointestinal digestion analysis revealed that EDIII‐1‐4 antigens are well protected when passing through the oral and gastric digestion phases but underwent degradation during the intestinal phase. Our results demonstrate that lettuce chloroplast engineering is a promising approach for future production of an affordable oral dengue vaccine.

Global stability of discrete virus dynamics models with humoural immunity and latency

This paper studies the global stability of discrete-time viral infection models with humoural immunity. We consider both latently and actively infected cells. We study also a model with general production and clearance rates of all compartments as well as general incidence rate of infection. We use nonstandard finite difference method to discretize the continuous-time models. The positivity and boundedness of solutions of the discrete models are established. We establish by using Lyapunov method, the global stability of equilibria in terms of the basic reproduction number and the humoural immune response activation number . The results signify that the infection dies out if . Moreover, the infection persists with inactive immune response if and with active immune response if . We illustrate our theoretical results by using numerical simulations.

Card9 mediates susceptibility to intestinal pathogens through microbiota modulation and control of bacterial virulence

ObjectiveIn association with innate and adaptive immunity, the microbiota controls the colonisation resistance against intestinal pathogens. Caspase recruitment domain 9 (CARD9), a key innate immunity gene, is required to shape...

Molecular characterization and protective immunity of rhoptry protein 35 (ROP35) of Toxoplasma gondii as a DNA vaccine

Toxoplasma gondii rhoptry proteins (TgROPs) have been considered the main targets and indicator molecules for immune diagnosis and prophylaxis because they present during the initial process of invasion. The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of a TgROP35 DNA vaccine on experimental mice subjected to T. gondii challenge. The effect of intramuscularly injecting the genetic vaccine pVAX-ROP35 into BALB/c mice was evaluated, by first inserting the TgROP35 sequence into the pVAX I eukaryotic expression vector. The levels of IgG, IgG1 and IgG2a in pVAX-ROP35-vaccinated animals were integrally increased. Cytokine profile analyses revealed that IFN-γ, IL-2 and IL-10 levels were significantly increased, while there were no significant differences in IL-4 expression between the pVAX-ROP35 immunized and control groups. Additionally, we found that immunization with pVAX-ROP35 significantly prolonged the survival time (13.90 ± 1.97 days) of mice after challenge infection with the virulent T. gondii RH strain compared with that in non-vaccinated control animals (mice died within 10 days). Moreover, the number of brain cysts (1450 ± 287) in the animals subjected to pVAX-TgROP35 vaccination decreased remarkably (P < 0.05) compared to that in the blank control mice (2333 ± 473). Furthermore, the size of brain cysts in the pVAX-TgROP35 group was significantly smaller than that in the blank control, PBS and pVAXI groups. The findings indicated that intense cell-mediated and humoural immunity was triggered and that defence mechanisms against T. gondii were partially induced after vaccination by TgROP35.

Research progress on the immune mechanism of the silkworm Bombyx mori

AbstractThe silkworm Bombyx mori L., representing an important economic insect and one of the best models for studying insect immunity, possesses an efficient and sophisticated innate immune system against invasive microorganisms. The innate immune system basically includes humoural immunity and cellular immunity. The humoural immunity, which functions via molecules including humoural factors, lysozymes, phenoloxidase, hemolin, lectins and, in particular, antimicrobial peptides, plays a central role in eliminating the invading pathogens. The cellular immunity is primarily carried out and mediated by plasmatocytes and granular cells of haemocytes in the haemolymph, usually followed by melanization. Additionally, apoptosis, a primary viral defence for insects lacking adaptive immunity, comprises an important part of the silkworm immune system. Currently, there is still the lack of a comprehensive and systematic understanding of the molecular mechanisms of silkworm immunity. We review the latest research progress on silkworm immune mechanisms, including phenoloxidase‐dependent melanization and apoptosis, which is conducive to improving our understanding of the silkworm immune mechanism, clarifying the relationship of various immune mechanisms, and also providing a theoretical basis and reference for the future research of insect immunity.

Cationic DDA/TDB liposome as a mucosal vaccine adjuvant for uptake by dendritic cells in vitro induces potent humoural immunity

The cationic dimethyldioctadecylammonium/trehalose 6,6,9-dibehenate (DDA/TDB) liposome is as a strong adjuvant system for vaccines, with remarkable immunostimulatory activity. The mucosal administration of vaccines is a potential strategy for inducing earlier and stronger mucosal immune responses to infectious diseases. In this study, we assessed whether the intranasal administration of cationic DDA/TDB liposomes combined with influenza antigen A (H3N2) can be used as a highly efficacious vaccine to induce mucosal and systemic antibody responses. Confocal laser scanning microscopy and a flow-cytometric analysis showed that the uptake of the cationic DDA/TDB liposome carrier was significantly higher than that of neutral 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine/cholesterol (DSPC/Chol) or cationic 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane/3β-(N-[N′,N′-dimethylaminoethane]-carbamoyl (DOTAP/DC-Chol) liposomes. Our results indicate that the cationic DDA/TDB liposome is more effective in facilitating its uptake by dendritic cells (DCs) in vitro than the DSPC/Chol or DOTAP/DC-Chol liposome. DCs treated with DDA/TDB liposomes strongly expressed CD80, CD86, and MHC II molecules, whereas those treated with DSPC/Chol or DOTAP/DC-Chol liposomes did not. C57BL/6 mice intranasally immunized with H3N2-encapsulating cationic DDA/TDB liposomes had significantly higher H3N2-specific s-IgA levels in their nasal wash fluid than those treated with other formulations. The DDA/TDB liposomes also simultaneously enhanced the serum IgG IgG2a, IgG1, and IgG2b antibody responses. In summary, DDA/TDB liposomes effectively facilitated their uptake by DCs and DCs maturation in vitro, and induced significantly higher mucosal IgA, systemic IgG, IgG1, and IgG2b antibody titres than other formulations after their intranasal administration in vivo. These results indicate that DDA/TDB liposomes are a promising antigen delivery carrier for clinical antiviral applications.

Maternal chitosan oligosaccharide supplementation during late gestation and lactation affects offspring growth

Chitosan oligosaccharide (COS), a natural compound derived from chitin, has growth promotion property. However, the nature of the relationship between maternal COS supplementation and offspring growth is not yet understood. Therefore, we intended to determine the effects of maternal COS supplementation in late gestation and lactation on the offspring growth performance. Twenty-four pregnant Yorkshire sows were distributed into two equal groups (n = 12) and fed either with a basal diet (control group) or a basal diet containing 100 mg/kg COS, from gestation day 85 until lactation day 21. Serum samples were collected from six sows of average body weight, from each group on farrowing day (lactation day 1) and lactation day 21, whereas colostrum and milk samples were respectively obtained on lactation days 1 and 21. We found that maternal COS supplementation significantly increased (p < .05) the average piglet weaning weight per litter. Supplementation of COS in the sow diet elevated (p < .05) the serum interleukin-10, immunoglobulin A (IgA) and IgM concentrations, as well as total antioxidant capacity. Moreover, higher (p < .05) colostrum IgM and milk lactose contents were simultaneously observed in COS-treated sows compared to the control sows. In summary, COS supplementation during late gestation and lactation can boost antioxidant capacity and humoural immunity of sows, and contributes to improving colostrum and milk quality, ultimately, enhancing the offspring growth performance.

Assessment of the influenza vaccine (VAXIGRIP) in triggering a humoural immune response.

ObjectivesThe World Health Organization (WHO) has announced a pandemic alert following successive waves of H1N1 epidemics that have swept the world. KSA became vulnerable to influenza virus due to Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages. Antibodies have been tested to inhibit the attachment and spread of influenza viruses to epithelial cells. This study aimed to assess the immunological indices of the influenza vaccine, VAXIGRIP, in triggering humoural immunity in volunteers.MethodsSera from pre- and 14 days post-vaccinated subjects were analysed for haemagglutinin (HA)-specific anti-H1 and anti-H3 antibodies using ELISA. Expansion of CD19+ B cells was quantified using FACSCalibur.ResultsThe VAXIGRIP vaccine induced specific anti-H1 and anti-H3 HA IgG antibodies against H1N1 and H3N2 influenza viruses, respectively. There was a significant increase in B cell numbers post-vaccination that directly matched the anti-H1 antibody titre. The results suggest that B cells are likely to be primed by the same antigenic strain derived from both H1N1 and H3N2 viruses, which were likely to be included in the vaccine.ConclusionInfluenza vaccine triggered a humoural immune response to surface HA proteins in vaccinated subjects. To our knowledge, this is the first report corroborating the immunogenicity of the influenza vaccine in KSA volunteers. These results may be beneficial to the ministry of health and the Saudi FDA in terms of weighing the role of this vaccine in inducing protective immunity.