Further studies of the polysaccharide of Klebsiella pneumoniae possessing strong adjuvanticity. III. Augmentation of the antibody response to subcutaneously injected sheep red blood cells by the adjuvant polysaccharide

Characterization of antibody responses of local lymph nodes to antigen given under the oral submucosa

We studied the function of submandibular lymph nodes (MLN) in the oral mucosa immune system as compared with that of inguinal lymph nodes (ILN) in the cutaneous one. Primary IgM, IgG and IgA antibody responses in MLN to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) as a model antigen given submucosally occurred more extensively than those in ILN to the antigen injected subcutaneously. Particularly, definite IgA synthesis was seen in MLN but not in ILN. This IgA synthesis was shown to be originated locally in oral submucosal lymphoid tissue or MLN but not in gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT). This suggested that the oral mucosal tissue including MLN acts like Peyer's patches in GALT for IgA synthesis. When mice were administered with SRBC and bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) submucosally, the adjuvant effect of LPS was only observed on the capacity of MLN cells for secondary antibody response in vitro. This contrasted to the marked augmentation by LPS of both the primary antibody response in ILN and capacity for in vitro secondary antibody response of ILN cells of mice given SRBC and LPS subcutaneously. The radioactivities detected in the local lymph nodes and other tissues of mice given 51Cr labeled SRBC submucosally or subcutaneously were comparable with each other. MLN, however, contained more Ig+/B220+ B cells and less Thy1+/Ly-1+ T cells than ILN did, and the L3T4/Ly-2 ratio of T cell subpopulations in MLN was lower than that in ILN. Partially corresponding to this observation, the B cell-dependent area was developed more extensively in MLN than in ILN. This difference in cellular composition and organization might in part explain the reason why MLN and ILN display distinct modes of response and sensitivity to the action of LPS.

Differential response of B cells in the lymph node and the spleen to bacterial lipopolysaccharide

In vivo polyclonal activation of B cells in the lymph nodes and the spleens of mice injected with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was compared. The peak of anti-trinitrophenylated sheep red blood cells plaque-forming cell (PFC) response in the lymph node was reached 6-8 days after the injection of LPS while that in the spleen was reached at 2 days. The maximal increase in the total number of Ig-producing cells in the lymph node also occurred at the later stage. These differences in time courses of polyclonal activation of B cells between the lymph node and the spleen were not due to the absence of B cells in the lymph node, migration of PFC from the spleen to the lymph node, or qualitative differences of B cells. This phenomenon was dependent on the environmental difference between the lymph node and the spleen, because B cells from the lymph node could respond to LPS rapidly in the spleen. Further, the polyclonal activation of B cells was accelerated in the lymph nodes of mice receiving prior injection of LPS. In in vitro cultures of lymph node cells of those mice, a significant amount of interleukin-1 could be detected by stimulation of LPS. It was possible that the delayed activation of B cells in the lymph node was due to the time lag necessary for construction of the environmental condition suitable for activation of B cells, whereas in the spleen this condition can be provided without delay.

A possible correlation between histological changes in regional subcutaneous tissue induced by bacterial lipopolysaccharides and their adjuvant activities

Previously it was demonstrated that Klebsiella pneumoniae O3 lipopolysaccharide (KO3 LPS) exhibited much stronger adjuvant action on antibody response to subcutaneously (s.c.) injected sheep red blood cells or deaggregated bovine serum albumin than did other kinds of LPS, the R-form LPS lacking the O-specific polysaccharide chain of KO3 LPS (R-LPS), and the lipid A fractionated from KO3 LPS. We compared histological changes in the regional subcutaneous tissues of mice injected subcutaneously (s.c.) with KO3 LPS, the lipid A, and R-LPS. At the early stage after injection, KO3 LPS induced the infiltration of a large number of inflammatory cells, mainly polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN), at the site of injection. Neither R-LPS nor the lipid A induced the accumulation of PMN so much as KO3 LPS did. When injected s.c. with LPS from Escherichia coli O111 (EO111 LPS) and O55 (EO55 LPS), and Salmonella enteritidis (Sent LPS), the appearance of PMN at the regional site was much less than KO3 LPS. KO3 LPS could accumulate more 51Cr-labeled leukocytes at the injection site than EO111 LPS and Sent LPS. Administration of acetylsalicylic acid, which can inhibit leukocyte migration in inflammatory lesions, suppressed its adjuvant action. It was therefore suggested that the strong adjuvant action of KO3 LPS in s.c. injection might be dependent on its potent capability of accumulating PMN at the regional subcutaneous tissue. Furthermore, at the late stage after injection, the formation of several lymphoid follicles at the regional site was seen only in mice injected with KO3 LPS. It might be also related to the strong adjuvant action of KO3 LPS.

Retention of bacterial lipopolysaccharide at the site of subcutaneous injection

The tissue distribution of Klebsiella pneumoniae O3 lipopolysaccharide (KO3 LPS) was studied in mice injected subcutaneously (s.c.) or intraperitoneally (i.p.) with 125I-labeled KO3 LPS. Marked retention of KO3 LPS radioactivity could be found at the site of s.c. injection for several weeks. On the other hand, about 85% of the radioactivity rapidly disappeared from the peritoneal cavity within 6 h after i.p. injection. The long-term presence of KO3 LPS at the injection site was also supported by experiments with 51Cr-labeled KO3 LPS and immunoblotting and immunofluorescence staining methods. The R-form LPS lacking the O-specific polysaccharide chain of KO3 LPS and the lipid A fraction of KO3 LPS seemed to remain at the site in larger amounts and for longer times than KO3 LPS. There were no marked differences in the retention pattern at the injection site among KO3 LPS, Escherichia coli LPS, Salmonella typhosa LPS, and Salmonella enteritidis LPS. However, much less radioactivity accumulated in the livers and spleens of mice injected with either KO3 LPS or S. typhosa LPS compared with the other LPS preparations. It was suggested that retention of LPS at the site of s.c. injection may play an important role in the development of various biological actions of s.c. injected LPS.

Adjuvant actions of polyclonal lymphocyte activators. V. Proliferation of macrophage colony-forming cells in the draining lymph node

We investigated the action of various polyclonal lymphocyte activators (PLA) on the proliferation of macrophage colony-forming cells in vivo at the local site. As PLA, Klebsiella pneumoniae 03 lipopolysaccharide (K03 LPS), Escherichia coli 0111 lipopolysaccharide (E. coli LPS), dextran sulfate (DS), concanavalin A (Con A), phytohemaggulutinin (PHA), polyadenylic-polyuridylic acid (poly(A:U], polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C], and pokeweed mitogen (PWM) were used. All PLA tested acted to proliferate macrophage colony-forming cells in the draining lymph node at a late stage after subcutaneous injection. The order of strength of this action of PLA was K03 LPS greater than E. coli LPS greater than Con A greater than DS greater than PHA, PWM, poly(I:C), and poly(A:U), which corresponded to the order of strength of their adjuvant action in initiating helper-T-cell response to subcutaneous injection of aggregate-free bovine gamma-globulin. The detailed relationship between the proliferation of macrophage colony-forming cells and the adjuvant action of PLA is discussed.

Effect of in vivo administration of different adjuvants on the in vitro candidacidal activity of mouse peritoneal cells

The candidacidal activity (CA) of peritoneal cells (PC) in vitro was used as a measure of nonspecific microbicidal activity of phagocytes after intraperitoneal injection of mice with different adjuvants. Dilutions of PC were incubated with constant numbers of C. parapsilosis in a 96-well culture plate. The PC number causing 50% reduction of yeast colonies formed after 48 hr at 37 degrees C was called 1 CA50 unit. CA was expressed in CA50 units per 10(6) PC. Optimal reduction of the number of viable candida cells in vitro was established within 1.5 hr while 50% reduction was reached after 0.5 hr. In this test CA was, within limits, independent of the number of viable candida cells added per well (22 to 152 yeast cells), of the concentration of fetal calf serum (1-20%) and of the presence of heat-labile serum components. The CA of PC of individual mice was measured 6, 24, and 96 hr after injection of an adjuvant. In most instances optimal CA was observed 6 hr after administration of adjuvant and varied from 3.7 (methylamine) to 50 (Corynebacterium parvum strain 4982) units. With respect to the titer and duration of CA, the adjuvants were arranged in the following order of increasing efficacy: methylamine, heparin, polyol L 121, suramin, dextran sulfate, polyol L 101, dimethyldioctadecylammonium bromide, Liquoid, heat-killed Listeria monocytogenes, formalin-killed C. parvum strain 10387, and strain 4982. The CA induced by the latter strain persisted at least till 96 hr after injection. The induction of CA was accompanied by recruitment of polymorphonuclear cells. The contribution of distinct phagocytic effector cells to CA and the correlation between modulation of the specific and nonspecific immunity are discussed.

Correlation between strong adjuvanticity of Klebsiella O3 lipopolysaccharide and its ability to induce interleukin-1 secretion

Adjuvant activity of Klebsiella O3 lipopolysaccharide (KO3 LPS) in augmenting antibody response and delayed-type hypersensitivity to protein antigens in SMA mice was much stronger than that of LPS from Escherichia coli O55 and O127 (EO55 LPS and EO127 LPS). Relationship between strength of the adjuvant activity and that of the ability to induce interleukin-1 (IL-1) secretion by peritoneal macrophages from C3H/HeN or SMA mice was investigated using these three kinds of LPS. When supernatant samples of macrophages cultured at 37 degrees C for 24 hr in the presence of 5 micrograms/ml LPS were assayed by their mitogenic effect on thymocytes from C3H/HeJ mice, KO3 LPS induced the secretion of about four to six times greater amounts of IL-1 activity than did EO127 LPS. When concentration of LPS used for stimulation of macrophages was varied from 0.1 to 50 micrograms/ml, KO3 LPS induced the secretion of definitely greater amounts of IL-1 activity than did EO55 LPS and EO127 LPS throughout the LPS concentrations tested. Nearly the same amount of IL-1 activity as that produced by 10 micrograms/ml EO55 LPS or 50 micrograms/ml EO127 LPS could be produced by 1.0 microgram/ml or lower concentrations of KO3 LPS.