title: Epicutaneous immunization with phosphorylcholine conjugated to bovine serum albumin (PC-BSA) and TLR9 ligand CpG alleviates pneumococcal pneumonia in mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Epicutaneous (EC) immunization is a potential new strategy of a needle-free and self-administrable immunization by using a topically applied patch to deliver vaccine. We have previously shown that EC immunization with various protein antigens inhibits both Th1- and Tc1-mediated contact hypersensitivity (CHS) in mice. Our further work showed that maneuver of EC immunization with an antigen and Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands prior to hapten sensitization reverses skin-induced suppression.
  
  
  METHODS
  Animal model of pneumococcal pneumonia was used to study efficacy of EC induced immunopotentiation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Current work showed that EC immunization with phosphorylcholine conjugated to bovine serum albumin (PC-BSA) and CpG prior to Streptococcus pneumoniae infection results in smaller decrease of body weight when compared to PBS treated mice. Consistent with the behavioral observations and body weight, smaller numbers of bacteria were quantitated in lung homogenates of mice patched with PC-BSA and CpG prior inoculation with S. pneumonia when compared to mice patched with PBS alone. In vitro experiments showed that lymph node cells and spleen cells from mice EC immunized with PC-BSA plus CpG produced high levels of IFN-γ and IL-17A when compared to PBS or PC-BSA or CpG treated mice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This work shows that EC immunization with PC-BSA plus TLR9 ligand CpG may be a potential tool to boost immunity to S. pneumoniae.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biology, Jagiellonian University College of Medicine, Kraków, Poland. Electronic address: mmszczep@cyf-kr.edu.pl.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Majewska-Szczepanik
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection Control, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima City, Japan.
authors.forename: Natsuo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.affiliation: Section of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Internal Immunology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, USA.
authors.forename: Philip W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Askenase
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biology, Jagiellonian University College of Medicine, Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Szczepanik
mesh_terms: D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000818:Animals; D018899:CpG Islands / Q000276:immunology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D008024:Ligands; D008297:Male; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D010767:Phosphorylcholine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000276:immunology; D022242:Pneumococcal Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D011018:Pneumonia, Pneumococcal / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine / Q000276:immunology*; D012867:Skin / Q000276:immunology; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000472:pathogenicity; D051217:Toll-Like Receptor 9 / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D020381:Interleukin-17; D008024:Ligands; D022242:Pneumococcal Vaccines; C495370:Tlr9 protein, mouse; D051217:Toll-Like Receptor 9; C076110:phosphorylcholine-bovine serum albumin; D010767:Phosphorylcholine; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine; D007371:Interferon-gamma
keywords: Epicutaneous immunization; Immunopotentiation; Streptococcus pneumoniae; Toll-like receptor; Vaccination