Immune response to intraocular injection of retinal S-antigen in adjuvant.
It has been proposed that the introduction of foreign material into the eye at the moment of a penetrating trauma provides an adjuvant effect which, coupled with the release of antigen, might be responsible for sensitizing the immune system to produce a contralateral "sympathetic ophthalmia." We addressed that hypothesis by injecting S-antigen with complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) into the anterior chamber (AC) of the eye of Lewis rats. The injection of an identical dose of antigen (30 micrograms S-Ag in CFA in a total volume of 10 microliters) via the foodpad (FP) or under the conjunctiva (SC) could induce typical experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU). By immunizing via the AC route, we could demonstrate a positive sensitization of the immune system, manifested by serum antibody production against S-Ag and by the presence of S-Ag-specific, responsive T-lymphocytes in the spleen. However, immunization via the AC route did not induce contralateral uveitis, and the animals did not produce a DTH skin response when challenged intradermally with S-Ag as they did after FP immunization. In the light of these results, we evaluated the possibility that a DTH suppressive response was elicited by intracameral (IC) injection as seen in anterior chamber-associated immune deviation (ACAID): we tested the effect of splenectomy and cyclophosphamide pretreatment before IC immunization and the effect of secondary footpad immunization as well as T-helper cell transfer after IC immunization. The results given by these approaches argue against the induction of suppressor cells by IC immunization.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
National Eye Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892.
F G
FG
Roberge
Y
Y
de Kozak
T
T
Utsumi
J P
JP
Faure
R B
RB
Nussenblatt
D000818:Animals; D000867:Anterior Chamber; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D019393:Arrestin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000494:pharmacology; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005620:Freund's Adjuvant; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D007267:Injections; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D012160:Retina; D012882:Skin Tests; D013156:Splenectomy; D014605:Uveitis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology
D000941:Antigens; D019393:Arrestin; D005136:Eye Proteins; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D005620:Freund's Adjuvant