Uric acid enhances T cell immune responses to hepatitis B surface antigen-pulsed-dendritic cells in

AIM:To study the induction of T cellular immune responses in BALB/c mice immunized with uric acid and dendritic cells(DCs)pulsed with hepatitis B virus surface antigen(HBsAg).METHODS:DCs were generated from bone-marrow cells of BABL/c mice,and then pulsed or unpulsed with HBsAg protein(HBsAg-pulsed-DCs or unpulsed-DCs)in vitro.BABL/c mice were immunized with HBsAg-pulsed-DCs(1×106)and uric acid,injected through the tail vein of each mouse.The mice in control groups were immunized with HBsAg-pulsed-DCs alone,unpulsed-DCs alone or 200 μg uric acid alone or PBS alone.The immunization was repeated 7 d later.Cytotoxic T lymphocytes(CTLs)/n vivo were determined by the CFSE labeled spleen lysis assay.Spleen cells or spleen T cells were isolated,and re-stimulated in vitro with HBsAg for 120 h or 72 h.Production of IFN-γ and IL-4 secreted by spleen cells were determined by ELISA method;proliferation of spleen T cells were detected by flow cytometry.RESULTS:The cytotoxicities of HBsAg-specific-CTLs,generated after immunization of HBsAg-pulsed-DCs and uric acid,were 68.63% ± 11.32% and significantly stronger than that in the control groups(P ＜ 0.01).Compared with control groups,in mice treated with uric acid and HBsAg-pulsed-DCs,the spleen T cell proliferation to HBsAg re-stimulation was stronger(1.34 ± 0.093 vs 1.081 ± 0.028,P ＜ 0.01),the level of IFN-γsecreted by splenocytes was higher(266.575 ± 51.323 vs 135.223 ± 32.563,P ＜ 0.01),and IL-4 level was lower(22.385 ± 2.252 vs 40.598 ± 4.218,P ＜ 0.01).CONCLUSION:Uric acid can strongly enhance T cell immune responses induced by HBsAg-pulsed-DCs vaccine.Uric acid may serve as an effective adjuvant of DC vaccine against HBV infection.