Immunomodulatory Effect of Toll-Like Receptor-3 Ligand Poly I:C on Cortical Spreading Depression.

The release of inflammatory mediators following cortical spreading depression (CSD) is suggested to play a role in pathophysiology of CSD-related neurological disorders. Toll-like receptors (TLR) are master regulators of innate immune function and involved in the activation of inflammatory responses in the brain. TLR3 agonist poly I:C exerts anti-inflammatory effect and prevents cell injury in the brain. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of systemic administration of poly I:C on the release of cytokines (TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-4, TGF-ß1, and GM-CSF) in the brain and spleen, splenic lymphocyte proliferation, expression of GAD65, GABAAα, GABAAß as well as Hsp70, and production of dark neurons after induction of repetitive CSD in juvenile rats. Poly I:C significantly attenuated CSD-induced production of TNF-α and IFN-γ in the brain as well as TNF-α and IL-4 in the spleen. Poly I:C did not affect enhancement of splenic lymphocyte proliferation after CSD. Administration of poly I:C increased expression of GABAAα, GABAAß as well as Hsp70 and decreased expression of GAD65 in the entorhinal cortex compared to CSD-treated tissues. In addition, poly I:C significantly prevented production of CSD-induced dark neurons. The data indicate neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects of TLR3 activation on CSD-induced neuroinflammation. Targeting TLR3 may provide a novel strategy for developing new treatments for CSD-related neurological disorders.

Anticonvulsant effect of neural regeneration peptide 2945 on pentylenetetrazol-induced seizures in rats.

Neuron regeneration peptides (NRPs) are small synthetic peptides that stimulate neural proliferation, migration, and differentiation with no apparent toxicity and high target specificity in CNS. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of NRP2945 on seizure activity induced by pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) in rats. Using behavioural assessment and electrocorticographical recordings, the effects of different doses of NRP2945 (5-20 µg/kg) were tested on seizure attacks induced by PTZ injection. In addition, the effect of NRP2945 was evaluated on the production of dark neurons and expression of GABAA receptor α and ß subunits and GAD-65 in the hippocampus and somatosensory cortex of the rat brain. Intraperitoneal injection of NRP2945 at 20 µg/kg prevented seizure attacks after PTZ injection. NRP2945 at doses of 5 and 10 µg/kg significantly decreased the total duration of seizure attacks and reduced the amplitude, duration and latency of epileptiform burst discharges induced by PTZ. In addition, the peptide significantly inhibited the production of dark neurons in the hippocampus and somatosensory cortex of epileptic rats. NRP2945 also significantly increased the expression of GABAA receptor α and ß subunits and GAD-65 in the hippocampus and somatosensory cortex compared with PTZ treated rats. This study indicates that NRP2945 is able to prevent the seizure attacks and neuronal injuries induced by PTZ, likely by stimulating GABAA and GAD-65 protein expression and/or protecting these components of GABAergic signalling from PTZ-induced alteration. Further studies are needed to elucidate the potential role of NRP2945 as an antiepileptic drug.

Antitumor effect of therapeutic HPV DNA vaccines with chitosan-based nanodelivery systems.

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is the second-most-common cause of malignancies in women worldwide, and the oncogenic activity of the human papilloma virus types (HPV) E7 protein has a crucial role in anogenital tumors. In this study, we have designed a therapeutic vaccine based on chitosan nanodelivery systems to deliver HPV-16 E7 DNA vaccine, considered as a tumor specific antigen for immunotherapy of HPV-associated cervical cancer. We have developed a Nano-chitosan (NCS) as a carrier system for intramuscular administration using a recombinant DNA vaccine expressing HPV-16 E7 (NCS-DNA E7 vaccine). NCS were characterized in vitro for their gene transfection ability. RESULTS: The transfection of CS-pEGFP NPs was efficient in CHO cells and the expression of green fluorescent proteins was well observed. In addition, NCS-DNA E7 vaccine induced the strongest E7-specific CD8+ T cell and interferon γ responses in C57BL/6 mice. Mice vaccinated with NCS-DNA E7 vaccine were able to generate potent protective and therapeutic antitumor effects against challenge with E7-expressing tumor cell line, TC-1. CONCLUSIONS: The strong therapeutic effect induced by the Chitosan-based nanodelivery suggest that nanoparticles may be an efficient carrier to improve the immunogenicity of DNA vaccination upon intramuscular administration and the platform could be further exploited as a potential cancer vaccine candidate in humans.

DNA vaccine encoding HPV-16 E7 with mutation in L-Y-C-Y-E pRb-binding motif induces potent anti-tumor responses in mice.

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women worldwide and remains a clinical problem despite improvements in early detection and therapy. The human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 (HPV16) E7 oncoprotein expressed in cervical carcinoma cells are considered as attractive tumor-specific antigen targets for immunotherapy. Since the transformation potential of the oncogenes, vaccination based of these oncogenes is not safe. In present study, DNA vaccine expressing the modified variant with mutation in pRb-binding motif of the HPV-16 E7 oncoprotein was generated. A novel modified E7 gene with mutation in LYCYE motif was designed and constructed and the immunogenicity and antitumor effect of therapeutic DNA vaccines encoding the mutant and wild type of E7 gene were investigated. The L-Y-C-Y-E pRb-binding motif of E7 proteins has been involved in the immortalization and transformation of the host cell. The results showed that the mutant and wild type HPV-16 E7 vectors expressed the desired protein. Furthermore, the immunological mechanism behind mutant E7 DNA vaccine can be attributed at least partially to increased cytotoxic T lymphocyte, accompanied by the up-regulation of Th1-cytokine IFN-γ and TNF-ß and down-regulation of Th3-cytokine TGF-ß. Immunized mice with mutant plasmid demonstrated significantly stronger cell immune responses and higher levels of tumor protection than wild-type E7 DNA vaccine. The results exhibit that modified E7 DNA vaccine may be a promising candidate for development of therapeutic vaccine against HPV-16 cancers.

Comparing the effect of Toll-like receptor agonist adjuvants on the efficiency of a DNA vaccine.

We have investigated whether poly(I:C) Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) and resiquimod Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) agonists can serve as vaccine adjuvants and promote the efficiency of therapeutic DNA vaccination against tumors expressing the human papilloma virus 16 (HPV-16) E7 protein. For this purpose, C57BL/6 mice were inoculated with 2 × 10(5) TC-1 cells, and they were then immunized with HPV-16 E7 DNA vaccine alone or with 50 µg of resiquimod or poly(I:C) individually. We found that poly(I:C) and resiquimod could induce more antigen-specific lymphocyte proliferation and cytolytic activity compared to vaccination with E7 DNA alone. While E7 DNA had no significant inhibitory effect on tumor growth, co-administration of poly(I:C) and resiquimod with E7 DNA induced significant tumor regression. Peripheral and local cytokine assays demonstrated that co-administration of poly(I:C) and resiquimod with E7 DNA induced circulating antigen-specific IFN-γ and nonspecific intratumoral IL-12. TLR3 and TLR7 agonists can be used to enhance the immune response to DNA vaccine immunogens. Taken together, these data indicate that combined vaccination with DNA encoding HPV-16 E7 plus TLR agonists provides a strategy for improving the efficacy of a vaccine as a possible immunotherapeutic strategy for cervical cancer.