Comparison of the role of dendritic cells and macrophages in inducing protective immunity against Schistosoma japonicum.
OBJECTIVE
To compare a potential role of dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages in inducing protective immunity against infection with Schistosoma japonicum.


METHODS
DCs and macrophages were pulsed in vitro with soluble egg antigen (SEA) of S. japonicum. BALB/c mice were injected three times with DCs or macrophages, either antigen-pulsed or not, and challenged with 40 +/- 2 cercariae of S. japonicum per mouse. Worms were collected 42 days later by portal perfusion of the mice and egg number of liver was calculated. To evaluate whether protective immunity had been induced by preparations of DCs or macrophages, the worm burden and fertility (eggs per female per mouse liver) were compared between the groups of mice. The antibody level against SEA was detected by ELISA.


RESULTS
With respect to mice injected with untreated cells, numbers of worms and eggs per female worms were significantly reduced in the groups of mice having received pulsed DCs (26. 3% and 37.9%, respectively), or pulsed macrophages (22.0% and 30.7%). Untreated DCs and macrophages induced no significant effects. The antibody level against SEA rose in sera of all groups of mice up to 42 days after the challenge, but most pronounced in those immunized with pulsed DCs, although this was not significantly different from other groups.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that the protective immunity against S. japonicum might be induced by DCs to a higher extent than by macrophages after in vitro pulsing with egg antigen.
Shen
Ding-wen
DW
Department of Pathogen Biology, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China. sdw660124@163.com
Li
Yong-long
YL
Liu
Wen-qi
WQ
Long
Xiao-chun
XC
Liu
Juan
J
Ruppel
Andreas
A
D019264:Adoptive Transfer; D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000097:blood; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000276:immunology; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000637:transplantation; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology* / Q000637:transplantation; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D012549:Schistosoma japonicum / Q000276:immunology*; D012554:Schistosomiasis japonica / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy
D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D000947:Antigens, Helminth