Immunomodulation: particular perspectives.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to J F Borel.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Xenogeneic grafts provide a potential alternative to the current shortage of human organs for transplantation. However, the prevention of rejection and tolerance induction of xenografts still remain to be further explored. Islet xenografts appear more promising than vascularized whole organ xenografts and additionally also more resistant to the recurrence of autoimmune disease than allografts. Recently, the nondepleting monoclonal antibody (mAb), which blocks the CD4 molecule on lymphocytes, was reported to be able to induce tolerance in allotransplantation and CD4 positive cells were further confirmed to be a major factor responsible for cellular xenograft rejection. Therefore, we hypothesize that anti-CD4 nondepleting mAb could also be effective in protecting cellular xenografts and inducing unresponsiveness of recipients. We studied the effect of the nondepleting anti-CD4 mAb YTS177.9 on islet xenograft survival by using the hamster-to-mouse islet transplantation model. Results were compared with that of the depleting anti-CD4 mAb GK1.5 that was shown to have similar binding sites on the CD4 molecule to mAb YTS177.9. Our data show that mAb YTS177.9 did effectively prolong the survival of islet xenografts and, in addition, also successfully did induce long-term acceptance of 40% grafts after only three perioperative injections of 0.5 mg mAb per mouse. The average survival of the graft was markedly prolonged to >66.8+/-37.1 days compared with controls (8.3+/-1.4 days) or with the depleting anti-CD4 mAb GK1.5 (25.7+/-5.5 days). However, the latter displayed a more profound inhibition in in vitro and ex vivo mixed lymphocyte xenoreaction than mAb YTS177.9. Moreover, the activity of this nondepleting mAb was found to be dose-dependent and 80% of grafts survived permanently when the dose was increased to six injections of 0.5 mg mAb. Like mAb GK1.5, mAb YTS177.9 also prevented rejection when given after a delay of two days posttransplant. In addition, we found that neither depleting nor nondepleting anti-CD8 mAb was effective in this model. Our results strongly suggest that an anti-CD4 nondepleting or blocking mAb alone is able to induce long-term acceptance of islet xenografts and that blocking the CD4 molecule is significantly superior to depleting CD4 positive cells for the protection of islet xenografts. This may indicate that CD4 cells play a major role in xenograft tolerance induction.
Long-term survival of islet xenografts in the hamster to mouse model can be induced by a short-course treatment with a nondepleting anti-CD4 mAb but not with a depleting anti-CD4 mAb [Lu et al. Xenotransplantation 1998; 5:154-163]. Although CD4 cells are known to play a key role in the rejection of islet xenografts, it remains unclear whether CD4 cells are also required for the induction and/or maintenance of specific unresponsiveness to xenografts. To investigate this problem, islets were isolated from golden hamsters and transplanted into streptozotocin-induced diabetic CBA/J mice. Nondepleting mAb YTS 177.9 was used to block CD4 cells for the induction of islet xenograft unresponsiveness and subsequently depleting mAb GK1.5 to deplete CD4 cells in the unresponsive recipients. First, we now confirm that second donor-strain xenografts were permanently accepted in recipients that had been unresponsive to the first grafts, whereas Lewis rat islet xenografts, used as third-party grafts, were rejected like a primary graft within 7-8 days. Second, we depleted CD4 cells in recipient mice, which had been treated perioperatively with the nondepleting mAb YTS 177.9 and became unresponsive to their primary hamster islet graft, by using a depleting anti-CD4 mAb at different time points post-transplant. Depletion of CD4 cells in the unresponsive recipients by the depleting anti-CD4 mAb GK1.5 did abrogate this unresponsive state, since the grafts were always rejected within an average of 25.5 days after the mAb GK1.5 injections. Therefore, our results strongly suggest that CD4 positive cells play an active suppressive role and that their presence in the recipients appears essential for both induction and maintenance of long-term islet xenograft survival or specific unresponsiveness.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Chronic relapsing experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (CR.EAE) was induced by immunizing Lewis rats with total guinea-pig spinal cord (GPSC) tissue emulsified in enriched complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). The proliferative responses of draining inguinal and popliteal lymph node cells to GP.MBP, purified protein derivative (PPD) and concanavalin A (ConA) appeared significantly modulated according to the clinical state of the animals. Responses appeared significantly decreased in both lymphoid compartments during the recovery periods compared with that during relapses. Therapeutic treatment of CR.EAE with cyclosporin and different lysolecithin derivatives, such as ET-18-OCH3, SRI 62-843 and MLS 266-337, starting at the spontaneous remission of the first disease bout, could suppress the manifestation of further relapses. Whereas cyclosporin only delayed the onset of the disease relapse until discontinuation of treatment, all lysolecithins showed a curative effect in most animals. Plasma corticosterone levels measured at different time points in placebo, cyclosporin and MLS 266-377-treated rats showed a strong correlation with the clinical state of the animals. High corticosterone levels were detected during stages of acute paralysis, whereas a decrease to normal levels was noted during each recovery phase.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Homozygous mev mice are first identified at the age of 3-4 days by focal depigmentation of the skin, followed by patchy absence of hair and by necrotic lesions on paws, tail and ears. Of particular interest are the inflammatory reactions in the paws of these animals which consist mainly of polymorphonuclear and mononuclear cell infiltration in the subcutaneous tissue extending to the periosteum and joint, resulting in focal destructive arthritis and osteomylitis. These lesions are to some extent reminiscent of an acute form of rheumatoid-like arthritis. Since mev mice are sterile, a limited number of symptomatic offspring can be obtained by cross-breeding their heterozygous siblings which are phenotypically not distinguishable from mice lacking this mutation. In order to produce a sufficient number of diseased animals for performing pharmacological studies, we have established a model by transferring this disease in lethally irradiated, 8- to 10-week-old syngeneic mice which were grafted with mev spleen cells. Such reconstituted recipients develop first inflammatory symptoms of the paws 2 to 3 weeks after cell transfer. The arthritic inflammation finally affects all paws and toes by 30 to 50 days. This procedure increased the number of mev-like mice expressing arthritis, allowing assessment of the effects of standard reference drugs used in the therapy of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The immunosuppressants cyclosporin and rapamycin and the steroid dexamethasone at therapeutic concentrations exert a strong inhibitory effect on the development of arthritis in this novel model. In contrast, the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug phenylbutazone shows only a moderate effect. These results indicate the particular sensitivity of this model for efficacy of potentially new therapeutic but non-cytostatic compounds for clinical use.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Recent data on the molecular mechanism of some immunosuppressive drugs provide strong support for the fascinating postulate that CSA and FK506 work by binding to immunophilins and then, as a drug-immunophilin complex, inhibiting the calcium-activated protein phosphatase, calcineurin. This inhibition could result in an altered modification pattern of the cytoplasmic components of transcription factors, thereby disturbing their nuclear translocation, which is a prerequisite for proper IL-2 transcription. It looks as if, with the immunosuppressive microbial metabolites as molecular probes, the pieces of this complex signal transduction puzzle are starting to fit together! Once the details of the chain of events along the T-cell signaling pathways are known, the molecular structures involved will provide new tools to be used in the search for and the rational design of new and improved therapeutic agents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The therapeutic effect of the ether phospholipid SRI 62-834, which lacks the characteristics of an immunosuppressive agent, was compared with those of two immunosuppressive drugs, cyclosporin and valine2-dihydrocyclosporin, in a rat model of chronic relapsing experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (CR-EAE). Drug treatment was initiated at the beginning of the first spontaneous remission on day 15 and was discontinued on day 31. Whereas the untreated rats experienced two paralytic relapses around days 21 and 31, the progression of CR-EAE was prevented during the period of drug administration. Protection with both cyclosporin and its derivative was complete, but SRI 62-834 only attenuated the clinical disease. The absence of paralytic symptoms was reflected by a distinct reduction in mononuclear cell infiltration in the central nervous system at days 21 and 31 in treated animals. The main difference between the two drug classes became apparent after withdrawal of therapy. Discontinuation of SRI 62-834 resulted in a long-lasting beneficial effect, with the rats remaining clinically normal and showing no histopathological changes. However, cyclosporin only delayed the clinical symptoms which reappeared after cessation of treatment. The exacerbated paralytic relapse, which followed about 1 week later and was associated with severe perivascular cell infiltrates and tissue destruction, subsequently became chronic in several animals. By contrast, withdrawal of valine2-dihydrocyclosporin partially prevented disease relapse and markedly reduced severity of symptoms without progression of a chronic disease. These results demonstrate the clear differences in the mode of action of these compounds in CR-EAE and suggest that SRI 62-834 could be an interesting candidate for the treatment of multiple sclerosis.