Evaluation of IL-12 in immunotherapy and vaccine design in experimental Mycobacterium avium infections

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 1998

Authors

Silva, RA (Author) Other; Pais, TF (Author) Other; Appelberg, R (Author) ICBAS

Journal

Title: Journal of Immunology

Vol. 161

Pages: 5578-5585

ISSN: 0022-1767

Publisher: American Association of Immunologists

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 35 Citations

Scopus - 38 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Medical and Health sciences > Basic medicine

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-001-6R9

Abstract (EN): IL-12 is a pivotal cytokine in the induction of IFN-gamma-mediated protective immune responses. We tested the effects of rIL-12 administration to Mycobacterium avium-infected mice and found a limited ability to induce protection against the infection; this ability varied according to the mycobacterial strain studied. IL-12 accelerated the expression and production of IFN-gamma in both immunocompetent and immunodeficient SCID or CD4-depleted mice. Evidence of NK cell activation was found as well as an enhancement of the ability to adoptively transfer resistance with T cell-enriched spleen cell populations and an increase in inflammatory cell recruitment in the liver. The protective ability of IL-12 was dependent upon the endogenous production of IFN-gamma as evaluated by the use of specific neutralizing Abs or IFN-gamma gene-disrupted mice. IL-12 potentiated the protective immunity conferred by a subunit vaccine containing M, avium culture filtrate proteins and dimethyl dioctadecyl ammonium chloride as an adjuvant. Thus, we show limited immunotherapeutic benefits from IL-12 administration in M, avium infections and promising results in its use as a coadjuvant in vaccine design.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 8