Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
3394089 | Acta Tropica | 2009 | 5 Pages |
Abstract
Two recombinant plasmids, pVAX/SjFABP and pVAX/mIL-18 containing Schistosoma japonicum 14 kDa fatty acid binding protein (SjFABP) and murine IL-18, were constructed and evaluated for their ability to induce immune responses and to protect against S. japonicum challenge in mice. Mice were intramuscularly immunized twice at three-weekly intervals, and challenged with S. japonicum cercariae at 4 weeks after the last vaccination. All animals vaccinated with pVAX/SjFABP alone or plus pVAX/mIL-18 developed specific anti-SWAP ELISA antibody and T lymphocyte proliferation. Co-injection of pVAX/mIL-18 significantly increased the production of IFN-γ and IL-2 compared with pVAX/SjFABP alone, indicating that IL-18 enhances the Th1-dominant immune response. The challenge experiment showed that co-injection of plasmid encoding IL-18 significantly enhances protective effect against S. japonicum infection, as demonstrated by worm reduction rates and the hepatic egg reduction rates 45 days post-challenge. These results indicated that IL-18 may become a novel vaccine adjuvant for development of vaccines against schistosomiasis.
Related Topics
Life Sciences
Immunology and Microbiology
Parasitology
Authors
Feng Wei, Quan Liu, Yujia Zhai, Zhiqiang Fu, Wensen Liu, Limin Shang, Jingtao Men, Shengyan Gao, Hai Lian, Hongtao Jin, Chen Chen, Jiaojiao Lin, Yaojun Shi, Zhiping Xia, Xing-Quan Zhu,