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COMPARISON OF SYSTEMIC AND MUCOSAL ROUTES OF SENSITIZATION TO OVALBUMIN ANTIGEN IN THREE MOUSE STRAINS
Citation:
ZHU, W., J. R. LEHMANN, AND M. I. GILMOUR. COMPARISON OF SYSTEMIC AND MUCOSAL ROUTES OF SENSITIZATION TO OVALBUMIN ANTIGEN IN THREE MOUSE STRAINS. Presented at American Thoracic Society Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, May 18 - 23, 2007.
Description:
Several studies have shown strain differences in allergic lung responses following ovalbumin (OVA) antigen sensitization and challenge. The purpose of this study was to determine whether these differences were maintained between systemic and mucosal sensitization routes, and to provide correlations between immune and pathophysiological endpoints. Systemic sensitization with AlOH adjuvant resulted in strong levels of total and OVA specific IgE and pulmonary eosinophils in all three strains (BALB/C, FVB/N and C57Bl6). Immediate airway responses after antigen challenge as well as airway reactivity to inhaled methacholine(MCH) in a Buxco system were highest in the FVB/N strain while IL5 and IL13 cytokine levels in lung fluid were comparable between FVB/N and BALB/C mice and lower in the C57 strain. The converse was found for IL4 and IL6 where the C57 mice had more than twice the amount of these cytokines. Mucosal sensitization and challenge produced weaker responses in the same general pattern with the C57 strain producing less serum IgE, IL5 and eosinophils in lung fluid. MCH responses were lower and more variable with control FVB/N mice having stronger responses than sensitized animals while the BALB/C and C57 sensitized animals maintained reactivity relative to controls. The results confirm that the FVB/N and BALB/C mice are higher Th2 responders than the C57 strain and further show that the FVB/N mice have the strongest airway reactivity responses. These animals also had the highest IgE levels; however pulmonary eosinophils and cytokine levels did not fully track with the elevated MCH responses. These differences illustrate the need for multiple endpoints to be measured in order to provide a more complete picture of disease severity. (This abstract does not reflect EPA policy).