title: Oral administration of interferon-α2b-transformed Bifidobacterium longum protects BALB/c mice against coxsackievirus B3-induced myocarditis.
abstract: Multiple reports have claimed that low-dose orally administered interferon (IFN)-α is beneficial in the treatment of many infectious diseases and provides a viable alternative to high-dose intramuscular treatment. However, research is needed on how to express IFN stably in the gut. Bifidobacterium may be a suitable carrier for human gene expression and secretion in the intestinal tract for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. We reported previously that Bifidobacterium longum can be used as a novel oral delivery of IFN-α. IFN-transformed B. longum can exert an immunostimulatory role in mice; however the answer to whether this recombinant B. longum can be used to treat virus infection still remains elusive. Here, we investigated the efficacy of IFN-transformed B. longum administered orally on coxsackie virus B3 (CVB3)-induced myocarditis in BALB/c mice. Our data indicated that oral administration of IFN-transformed B. longum for 2 weeks after virus infection reduced significantly the severity of virus-induced myocarditis, markedly down regulated virus titers in the heart, and induced a T helper 1 cell pattern in the spleen and heart compared with controls. Oral administration of the IFN-transformed B. longum, therefore, may play a potential role in the treatment of CVB3-induced myocarditis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, the Affiliated Shenzhen Nanshan Hospital of Guangdong Medical College, No 89 Taoyuan Road, Nanshan district, Shenzhen, China.
authors.forename: Zhijian
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Chongwen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.forename: Yuanjian
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Fan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Lili
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Zhongming
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Qiwen
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Weiseng
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zeng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001644:Bifidobacterium / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D003384:Coxsackievirus Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology; D004770:Enterovirus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D007422:Intestines / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; C100416:peginterferon alfa-2a