title: Effect of a monoclonal antibody against interleukin-4 on the induction of oral tolerance in mice.
abstract: The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of a monoclonal antibody against interleukin-4 on the induction of oral tolerance. Oral tolerance was induced by feeding mice with low and high doses (0.1, 1 and 10 mg) of hen egg lysozyme once a day for 5 days before immunization with the antigen. An anti-interleukin-4 monoclonal antibody was i.p. injected 30 min before each oral administration of hen egg lysozyme. The results showed that the oral administration of hen egg lysozyme suppressed immune responses to the antigen including delayed type hypersensitivity, production of both isotypes of immunoglobulin (Ig) G1 and IgG2a antibodies and proliferation of lymph node cells in a dose-dependent manner. The suppression of these responses by the oral antigen was associated with a marked reduction of interferon-gamma secretion and a moderate decrease in interleukin-4 production by lymphoid cells. The treatment with the anti-interleukin-4 monoclonal antibody blocked dose-dependently the suppression of the delayed type hypersensitivity response to hen egg lysozyme, anti-hen egg lysozyme IgG2a antibody production and interferon-gamma secretion. In contrast, the anti-interleukin-4 antibody facilitated the suppression of anti-hen egg lysozyme IgG1 antibody production and interleukin-4 secretion. Thus, the neutralization of interleukin-4 by anti-interleukin-4 antibodies appears to be effective in modulating the induction of oral tolerance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Saga Medical School, Japan. yoshins@post.saga-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yoshino
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohsawa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002455:Cell Division; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000276:immunology; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000276:immunology*; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D009113:Muramidase / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D009113:Muramidase