Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Department of Laboratory Sciences, School of Paraveterinary Sciences, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamadan
2 Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Jondi Shapour University, Ahwaz, Iran
3 School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton, Nottingham, UK
Abstract
Background: Leishmania is a pathogenic parasite which infects mononuclear cells in vertebrate hosts. Different strategies have been taken to develop immunity against Leishmania . DCs loaded with immunogenic antigen have resulted in different levels of Th1-type immune response and cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) activity.
Objective: To evaluate the potency of DCs primed with soluble Leishmania mexicana antigens (SLA) in developing CTL activity.
Methods: DCs were loaded with SLA and injected to Balb/c mice. After two weeks the mice were sacrificed and their splenocytes were used as effector cells in a standard 4-hour cytotoxicity assay against DCs transfected with pcDNA3 containing L. mexicana gp63 gene.
Results: Immunization of Balb/c mice with DCs loaded with SLA resulted in high levels of CTL activity against DCs transfected with pcDNA3 containing L. mexicana gp63 gene.
Conclusions: The results indicate a high potency for DCs primed with Leishmania antigens in inducing CTL activity, which can be used for developing an immunogenic vaccine against Leishmania.
Keywords
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