Therapeutic vaccination for closed head injury.
Closed head injury often has a devastating outcome, partly because the insult, like other injuries to the central nervous system (CNS), triggers self-destructive processes. During studies of the response to other CNS insults, it was unexpectedly discovered that the immune system, if well controlled, provides protection against self-destructive activities. Here we show that in mice with closed head injury, the immune system plays a key role in the spontaneous recovery. Strain-related differences were observed in the ability to harness a T cell-dependent protective mechanism against the effects of the injury. We further show that the trauma-induced deficit could be reduced, both functionally and anatomically, by post-traumatic vaccination with Cop-1, a synthetic copolymer used to treat patients with multiple sclerosis and found (using a different treatment protocol) to effectively counteract the loss of neurons caused by axonal injury or glutamate-induced toxicity. We suggest that a compound such as Cop-1 can be safely developed as a therapeutic vaccine to boost the body's immune repair mechanisms, thereby providing multifactorial protection against the consequences of brain trauma.
Kipnis
Jonathan
J
Department of Neurobiology, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Nevo
Uri
U
Panikashvili
David
D
Alexandrovich
Alexander
A
Yoles
Eti
E
Akselrod
Solange
S
Shohami
Esther
E
Schwartz
Michal
M
D000818:Animals; D020755:Coat Protein Complex I / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016489:Head Injuries, Closed / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D013045:Species Specificity; D014611:Vaccination / Q000379:methods*
D020755:Coat Protein Complex I