title: Evaluation of somatic and reproductive immunotoxic effects of the porcine zona pellucida vaccination.
abstract: Immunological, immunocytochemical and fertility analyses were performed to determine the potential toxic side effects of porcine zona pellucida (pZP) vaccinations on target animals, including horses and dogs. The study was designed to determine the effect of antibodies, raised against highly purified pZP, on somatic tissues. Immunocytochemical studies performed with fixed tissues showed that rabbit anti-pZP antiserum did not crossreact with brain, heart, lung, kidney, liver, bladder, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, muscle, skin, spleen, pancreas, or lymph node of either the dog or horse. To determine the effect or oral intake on nontarget animals, female rabbits were fed a contraceptive vaccine containing pZP glycoproteins and the synthetic trehalose dicorynomycolate in drakeol (S-TDCM) adjuvant. Enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay (LISA) analyses showed that rabbits fed with the adjuvanted pZP proteins did not develop circulating anti-pZP IgG antibodies that crossreacted with pZP. Furthermore, fertility studies performed on rabbits fed with adjuvanted pZP revealed no significant differences in the number of embryos or stage of the embryos produced between the treated and control animals. Results of these studies suggest that the pZP vaccine delivered to dogs or horses in field studies have no recognizable somatic tissue effects. Moreover, there were no side effects on nontarget animals should they eat the vaccine. This substantiates field trials results about the safety of the pZP immunocontraceptive vaccine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Large Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602-7385, USA.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Barber
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Fayrer-Hosken
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000009:adverse effects; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D003269:Contraception, Immunologic / Q000379:methods*; D003311:Cord Factors / Q000009:adverse effects; D003429:Cross Reactions; D004285:Dogs; D004527:Egg Proteins / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D006736:Horses; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology*; D011817:Rabbits; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D013552:Swine; D014612:Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D015044:Zona Pellucida / Q000276:immunology*; D000072216:Zona Pellucida Glycoproteins
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D003311:Cord Factors; D004527:Egg Proteins; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D014612:Vaccines; D000072216:Zona Pellucida Glycoproteins; C043399:6,6'-dicorynomycolyl trehalose