title: Enhanced Immunostimulating Activity of Lactobacilli-Mimicking Materials by Controlling Size.
abstract: The design and synthesis of materials capable of activating the immune system in a safe manner is of great interest in immunology and related fields. Lactobacilli activate the innate immune system of a host when acting as probiotics. Here, we constructed lactobacilli-mimicking materials in which polysaccharide-peptidoglycan complexes (PS-PGs) derived from lactobacilli were covalently conjugated to the surfaces of polymeric microparticles with a wide variety of sizes, ranging from 200 nm to 3 μm. The artificial lactobacilli successfully stimulated macrophages without cytotoxicity. Importantly, we found that the size of artificial lactobacilli strongly influenced their immunostimulating activities, and that artificial lactobacilli of 1 μm exhibited 10-fold higher activity than natural lactobacilli. One major advantage of the artificial lactobacilli is facile control of size, which cannot be changed in natural lactobacilli. These findings provide new insights into the design of materials for immunology as well as the molecular biology of lactobacillus.
authors.affiliation: †Department of Nanobiochemistry, Frontiers of Innovative Research in Science and Technology (FIRST), Konan University, 7-1-20 minatojima-minamimachi, Kobe 650-0047, Japan.
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nagahama
authors.affiliation: †Department of Nanobiochemistry, Frontiers of Innovative Research in Science and Technology (FIRST), Konan University, 7-1-20 minatojima-minamimachi, Kobe 650-0047, Japan.
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kumano
authors.affiliation: †Department of Nanobiochemistry, Frontiers of Innovative Research in Science and Technology (FIRST), Konan University, 7-1-20 minatojima-minamimachi, Kobe 650-0047, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.affiliation: †Department of Nanobiochemistry, Frontiers of Innovative Research in Science and Technology (FIRST), Konan University, 7-1-20 minatojima-minamimachi, Kobe 650-0047, Japan.
authors.forename: Naho
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Oyama
authors.affiliation: ‡Yakult Central Institute, 5-11 Izumi, Kunitachi-shi, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsuji
authors.affiliation: ‡Yakult Central Institute, 5-11 Izumi, Kunitachi-shi, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan.
authors.forename: Kaoru
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Moriyama
authors.affiliation: ‡Yakult Central Institute, 5-11 Izumi, Kunitachi-shi, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan.
authors.forename: Kan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shida
authors.affiliation: ‡Yakult Central Institute, 5-11 Izumi, Kunitachi-shi, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan.
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nomoto
authors.affiliation: ‡Yakult Central Institute, 5-11 Izumi, Kunitachi-shi, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsuyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chiba
authors.affiliation: †Department of Nanobiochemistry, Frontiers of Innovative Research in Science and Technology (FIRST), Konan University, 7-1-20 minatojima-minamimachi, Kobe 650-0047, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Koumoto
authors.affiliation: †Department of Nanobiochemistry, Frontiers of Innovative Research in Science and Technology (FIRST), Konan University, 7-1-20 minatojima-minamimachi, Kobe 650-0047, Japan.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Matsui
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D007114:Immunization; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000378:metabolism; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D010457:Peptidoglycan / Q000737:chemistry; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry*; D019936:Probiotics / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D010457:Peptidoglycan; D011108:Polymers; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial; D018664:Interleukin-12