Targeting hepatitis B virus antigens to dendritic cells by heat shock protein to improve DNA vaccine potency

The sterile inflammation in the exacerbation of HBV-associated liver injury

Exacerbation of hepatitis B virus-associated liver injury is characterized by abnormal immune response which not only mobilizes specific antiviral effects but also poses a potentially lethal nonspecific sterile inflammation to the host. How nonspecific sterile inflammation is triggered after the preexisting injury caused by specific immune injury remains elusive. In the setting of sterile inflammation, endogenous damage-associated molecular patterns are released by stressed and dying hepatocytes, which alarm the immune system through their potential pattern recognition receptors and related signaling pathways, orchestrate the influx of diverse cytokines, and ultimately amplify liver destruction. This review highlights current knowledge about the sterile hepatic inflammation in the exacerbation of chronic hepatitis B.

DNA-hsp65 vaccine as therapeutic strategy to treat experimental chromoblastomycosis caused by Fonsecaea pedrosoi

Chromoblastomycosis (CBM) is a chronic subcutaneous mycosis, caused by several dimorphic, pigmented dematiaceous fungi. Patients with the disease are still considered a therapeutic challenge, mainly due to its recalcitrant nature. There is no "gold standard" treatment for this neglected mycosis, but rather there are several treatment options. Chemotherapy alternatives include 5-flucytosine, itraconazole, terbinafine, fluconazole, thiabendazole, ketoconazole and amphotericin B, although the healing of severe cases is still uncommon. However, several studies have reported the DNA vaccine to be promising in the treatment for fungal infections; this vaccine allows the host to restore depressed cellular immunity, minimizing the toxic effects from conventional antifungal therapies. This work was therefore carried out aiming to establish a suitable model for experimental CBM, suggesting also new therapies, including DNA-hsp65 vaccine. By analyzing the morphometrical and histopathological aspects and by quantifying the fungal burden, the results showed the establishment of a chronic, although transitory, experimental CBM model with lesions similar to those presented in humans. A treatment regimen using intralesional itraconazole or amphotericin B was effective in treating experimental CBM, as was a therapy using naked DNA-hsp65 vaccine. It has also been shown that chemotherapy associated with DNA-hsp65 vaccine is promising in the treatment for CBM.

Cortistatin vaccination--a solution to growth hormone deficiency

Cortistatin and somatostatin are neuropeptides which have inhibitory effects on growth hormone through common five receptors. Although, both have inhibitory effects but, only cortistatin has direct inhibitory effects on growth hormone secretagogue and is more potent inhibitor of growth hormone than somatostatin. This control of growth hormone can be manipulated through immunoneutralization of cortistatin through cortistatin DNA vaccine rather than antibodies application. A DNA vaccine of cortistatin can be produced using recombinant DNA technology in a eukaryotic expression system and will serve as a tool not to only alleviate the growth hormone deficiency problems in human but, can also be used to improve growth rate in farm animals.

Targeting the porcine immune system--particulate vaccines in the 21st century

During the last decade, the propagation of immunological knowledge describing the critical role of dendritic cells (DC) in the induction of efficacious immune responses has promoted research and development of vaccines systematically targeting DC. Based on the promise for the rational design of vaccine platforms, the current review will provide an update on particle-based vaccines of both viral and synthetic origin, giving examples of recombinant virus carriers such as adenoviruses and biodegradable particulate carriers. The viral carriers carry pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMP), used by the original virus for targeting DC, and are particularly efficient and versatile gene delivery vectors. Efforts in the field of synthetic vaccine carriers are focussing on decorating the particle surface with ligands for DC receptors such as heparan sulphate glycosaminoglycan structures, integrins, Siglecs, galectins, C-type lectins and toll-like receptors. The emphasis of this review will be placed on targeting the porcine immune system, but reference will be made to advances with murine and human vaccine delivery systems where information on DC targeting is available.

Engineering enhancement of the immune response to HBV DNA vaccine in mice by the use of LIGHT gene adjuvant

DNA vaccines could induce protective immune responses in several animal models. Many strategies have been employed to improve the effect of nucleic acid vaccines. LIGHT is a member of the TNF superfamily and functions as a co-stimulatory molecule for T cell proliferation. In the study, the immunogenicity in the induction of humoral and cellular immune responses by HBV DNA vaccine and the adjuvant effect of LIGHT were studied in a murine model. The eukaryotic expression plasmid pcDNA-L was constructed by inserting mouse LIGHT gene into the vector pcDNA3.1(+). In vitro expression of LIGHT was detected by RT-PCR and indirect immunofluorescence assay in transfected HeLa cells. MLR assay showed that LIGHT-transfected DCs induced markedly higher allogeneic lymphocyte proliferation than pcDNA-transfected DCs and untreated DCs at all dilutions. After BALB/c mice were immunized by three intramuscular injections of the HBV DNA vaccine plasmids alone or in combination with LIGHT expression plasmids, the different levels of anti-HBV immune responses were measured comparable to the control groups immunized with parent plasmid pcDNA or PBS. The HBsAg-specific splenocytes proliferation and specific cytotoxic activities of splenic CTLs in the coinoculation group were both significantly higher than those in the HBV DNA single inoculation group, and an enhancement of antibody response was also observed in the coinoculation group compared with the single inoculation group. Taken together, coimmunization of HBV DNA vaccine plasmids and LIGHT expression plasmids can elicit stronger humoral and cellular immune responses in mice than HBV DNA vaccine plasmids alone, and LIGHT may be an effective immunological adjuvant in HBV DNA vaccination.