title: Therapeutic treatment with heat-killed Mycobacterium vaccae (SRL172) in a mild and severe mouse model for allergic asthma.
abstract: The hypothesis that a lack of early childhood bacterial infections would favor the development of allergic disease suggests that bacteria can be used as a potential treatment for allergic asthma. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the therapeutic potential of heat-killed Mycobacterium vaccae in two mouse models of allergic asthma. For this purpose, mice were sensitized i.p. with ovalbumin/alum (severe model) or ovalbumin alone (mild model) and challenged on days 77, 80 and 83 by inhalation of either ovalbumin or saline aerosols. Treatment of mice with M. vaccae (s.c. 10(7) or 10(8) colony-forming units) on days 56 and 63, however, did not reduce airway hyperresponsiveness and eosinophilia, IgE and interleukin-5 production 24 h after ovalbumin challenge in either mouse model. We therefore conclude that treatment of sensitized mice with M. vaccae before allergen exposure is not able to reduce the allergic and asthma-like response in a mild and a severe model of allergic asthma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Pathophysiology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80082, 3508 TB, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Joost J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Smit
authors.forename: Henk
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Van Loveren
authors.forename: Maarten O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Hoekstra
authors.forename: Patrick A A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Van der Kant
authors.forename: Gert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Folkerts
authors.forename: Frans P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Nijkamp
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000633:toxicity; D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000276:immunology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000276:immunology; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; C451081:SRL172