title: Expressions of some neurotrophins and neurotrophic cytokines at site of spinal cord injury in mice after vaccination with dendritic cells pulsed with homogenate proteins.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Immune cells are key mediators of secondary damage following spinal cord injury (SCI), and dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccines have received considerable interest for treatment of SCI. We previously showed that vaccination with DCs pulsed with homogenate proteins of the spinal cord (hpDCs) promotes functional recovery from SCI in mice. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here, changes of neurotrophins, cytokines and T cells at the site of SCI in mice after vaccination with hpDCs were investigated and correlated with recovery from SCI.
  
  
  METHODS
  hpDCs, DCs (control) or PBS (control) were injected intraperitoneally into injured mouse spinal cords. Functional recovery of the spinal cord was measured weekly using the Basso Mouse Scale (BMS) and confirmed by histological and immunohistochemical analysis. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels in T cell culture supernatants and spinal cord tissues were determined by ELISA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighty-four days after immunization, the BMS score of the hpDCs group (6.92 ± 0.20) was significantly higher than those of the DCs and PBS groups (p < 0.01). Meanwhile, the injury area and number of cysts in the hpDCs group decreased significantly compared with control groups. BDNF, NT-3, IL-4 and IFN-γ levels at the injured site as well as BDNF and NT-3 levels in the supernatant of cultured T cells from the hpDCs group were significantly higher than in control groups (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results reveal that vaccination with hpDCs can promote SCI repair potentially by upregulating BDNF, NT-3, IL-4 and IFN-γ at the injury site.
authors.affiliation: Department of Spine Surgery, Daping Hospital, Research Institute of Surgery, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, PR China.
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.forename: Qiao-Nan
authors.initials: QN
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Ming-Yong
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hua-Ping
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jian-Hua
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000637:transplantation*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011506:Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D020127:Recovery of Function; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D011506:Proteins