Propionibacterium AcnesActs as an Adjuvant inin VitroImmunization of Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells

Increased immunogenicity and protection of recombinant Sm14 antigens by heat-killed Cutibacterium acnes in BALB/c mice infected with Schistosoma mansoni

After many years of the excessive use of praziquantel against Schistosoma mansoni (S. mansoni), it has already led to the development of drug resistance. While schistosomiasis is still affecting millions of people every year, vaccination may be one realistic alternative way to control the disease. Currently, S. mansoni 14-kDa fatty acid-binding protein (Sm14) has shown promising results as a vaccine antigen. Yet, the use of an adjuvant may be necessary to further increase the effectiveness of the vaccine. Herein, we investigated the potential of using heat-killed Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes) as an adjuvant for recombinant Sm14 (rSm14). Immunization of mice with C. acnes-adjuvanted rSm14 showed increased humoral immune responses, compared with mice immunized with rSm14 alone. Additionally, C. acnes-adjuvanted rSm14 vaccination provided higher protection to mice against S. mansoni infection and liver injuries. These results suggest that C. acnes increases the immunogenicity of rSm14, which leads to better protection against S. mansoni infection. Therefore, heat-killed C. acnes may be a promising adjuvant to use with rSm14.

Detection of Cutibacterium acnes in granulomas of patients with either hypersensitivity pneumonitis or vasculitis reveals that its presence is not unique for sarcoidosis

Granulomas are compact organised structures of different immune cells, including macrophages, lymphocytes and plasma cells, thought to be formed when (foreign) antigens cannot be cleared. The differential diagnosis of a granulomatous lesion is broad and includes infectious aetiologies, malignancy and inflammatory disorders like vasculitis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis and sarcoidosis [1].

Presence of C. acnes in granulomas is not unique to sarcoidosis but can also be found in patients with HP or EGPA. C. acnes may be involved in the pathogenesis of those granulomatous diseases in a mitogenic way.https://bit.ly/3pU0PeC

Presence of Propionibacterium acnes in granulomas associates with a chronic disease course in Dutch sarcoidosis patients

Several studies demonstrated that Propionibacterium acnes may be involved in sarcoidosis pathogenesis. Presence of P. acnes was found in granulomas of the majority of Japanese sarcoidosis patients. However, presence of P. acnes in tissue has never been related to sarcoidosis phenotypes and clinical outcome. Therefore, the aims of our study were to demonstrate whether P. acnes can be detected in granulomas of Dutch sarcoidosis patients and to investigate whether its presence is related to a clinical phenotype and/or course of disease.

Sections of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks of 76 sarcoidosis patients were examined by immunostaining with a P. acnes-specific monoclonal antibody (PAB antibody) using a Ventana BenchMark ULTRA. Clinical outcome status (COS) was determined and classified into two phenotype groups: A: resolved, minimal or persistent disease without treatment (COS 1–6) and B: persistent disease with need for treatment (COS 7–9).

P. acnes was detected in samples of 31 patients (41%) and located within granulomas in samples of 13 patients (17%). The frequency of P. acnes detected in granulomas at diagnosis was significantly higher in patients with phenotype B compared to patients with phenotype A (29% versus 0%, p=0.021).

Presence of P. acnes in granulomas can be confirmed in Dutch sarcoidosis patients. It is intriguing that presence of P. acnes in granulomas is more frequently found in patients with chronic disease requiring treatment. This adds to the rationale that a subgroup of sarcoidosis patients might benefit from antibiotic therapy.

Significantly more sarcoidosis patients with a chronic disease course requiring treatment have presence of P. acnes in granulomas. This contributes to the premise that it is relevant to further explore antibacterial therapy in sarcoidosis.https://bit.ly/36wCbbw

The Protective HIV-1 Envelope gp41 Antigen P1 Acts as a Mucosal Adjuvant Stimulating the Innate Immunity

Mucosal nasal vaccine development, although ideal to protect from pathogens invading mucosally, is limited by the lack of specific adjuvant. We recently used P1, a conserved region of HIV-1 gp41-envelope glycoprotein, as efficient antigen in a prophylactic HIV-1 mucosal vaccine applied nasally. Herein, P1 immunomodulation properties were assessed on human nasal mucosal models by measuring induction of cytokine and chemokine production, intracellular signaling pathways, mucosal dendritic cell (DC) activation, and T cell proliferation. P1 adjuvant properties were evaluated by quantification of antigen-specific B cell responses against a model antigen in an in vitro immunization model. We now demonstrated that P1 has additional immunological properties. P1 initiates immune responses by inducing nasal epithelial cells to secrete the Th2-cytokine thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), a described mucosal adjuvant. Secreted TSLP activates, in turn, intracellular calcium flux and PAR-2-associated NFAT signaling pathway regulated by microRNA-4485. Thereafter, P1 induces mucosal dendritic cell maturation, secretion of TSLP in a TSLP-receptor (R)-dependent autocrine loop, but also IL-6, IL-10, IL-8, CCL20, CCL22, and MMP-9, and proliferation of CD4+ T cells. Finally, P1 acts as an adjuvant to stimulate antigen-specific B cell responses in vitro. Overall, P1 is a multi-functional domain with various immuno-modulatory properties. In addition to being a protective vaccine antigen for HIV prevention, P1 acts as adjuvant for other mucosal vaccines able to stimulate humoral and cellular antigen-specific responses.

Specific humoral immune response induced by propionibacterium acnes can prevent Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infection in mice

Porcine contagious pleuropneumonia, caused by Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, has a major impact on economics, ecology, and animal welfare in the pig-rearing industry. Propionibacterium acnes, a facultative anaerobic Gram-positive corynebacterium, exists widely in normal healthy adult animals. We have shown previously that P. acnes can prevent A. pleuropneumoniae infections in mice and pigs. To elucidate the mechanism of this effect and to identify novel A. pleuropneumoniae vaccines, the role of anti-P. acnes antibodies in preventing infection was analyzed by indirect immunofluorescence and opsonophagocytosis assays in vitro. The role of the specific humoral immune response induced by P. acnes was confirmed in a B cell depletion mouse model. The survival rates of mice challenged with A. pleuropneumoniae exhibited a highly significant positive rank correlation with the levels of anti-P. acnes antibodies. The specific antibodies induced by P. acnes had the ability to combine with A. pleuropneumoniae and increase opsonization of A. pleuropneumoniae for phagocytosis. Furthermore, analysis in the murine B cell depletion model confirmed that the humoral immune response induced by P. acnes played an important role in resistance to A. pleuropneumoniae infection. In this study, we further elucidated the reasons that P. acnes can prevent A. pleuropneumoniae infection, which provides useful evidence for the development of heterologous vaccines for the control of porcine contagious pleuropneumonia.

Practical aspects of administering Acnecutan for the treatment of acne in teenagers

Goal of the study: to study the efficacy and tolerance of Acnecutan for the treatment of acne in teenager patients. Materials and methods. The study involved 43 patients aged 12-18 with moderate to severe acne, who received Acnecutan* as a monotherapy. The skin process dynamics was assessed visually based on the Basic Acne Severity Index (BASI). Results. Clinical recovery was achieved in 39 patients (90.7% of all cases), and clinical improvement was observed in 4 patients (9.3%). Conclusion. The results of Acnecutan administration demonstrate a high level of its efficacy and tolerance in teenagers. To assess the stability of the results achieved and to draw final conclusions, the patients will be followed up within a year after the end of the therapy. Therefore, the drug can be recommended as a monotherapy for acne of different clinical forms in teenager patients.

Generation and characterization of chicken egg yolk antibodies against propionibacterium acnes for the prevention of acne vulgaris

Introduction:

Antigen-specific antibody has been widely used for immunological analysis in the field of diagnosis as well as in pure scientific research, where the IgY antibodies can be raised against P acnes antigen.

Material and Methods:

To produce IgY against Propionibacterium acnes, laying hens were immunized with P acnes (MTCC No: 1951) and subsequent booster injections were given. The antibodies produced were purified from the egg yolk of immunized chicken using the polyethylene glycol and ammonium sulfate precipitation method and, further, by Diethylaminoethyl (DEAE) cellulose ion-exchange column chromatography. The protein fraction of IgY was isolated from the egg yolk. The separation was rapid, and the success of each step was viewed on Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The reactivity of anti–P acnes was evaluated by the Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test and the dot-immunoassay.

Results:

With ELISA, the highest titter of 1:10000 was observed on the 150^th day after vaccination. The results of dot-immunoassay suggested that anti–P acnes IgY developed a brown color as positive reaction, which showed the antigen-antibody binding even after a maximum dilution of 1/500. These results suggest that anti-acne IgY was produced and had strong specific antibody reactivity.

Conclusion:

The findings indicate that anti-acne IgY is worth utilizing as a preventive agent for acne vulgaris.

Selection of serotype-specific vaccine candidate genes in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and heterologous immunization with Propionibacterium acnes

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (A. pleuropneumoniae) is a highly contagious lethal causative agent of swine pleuropneumoniae. Vaccines for this disease are usually serotype specific. In order to identify immunogenic genes specific to serotypes, two differentially expressed gene cDNA libraries of A. pleuropneumoniae CCVC259 (serotype 1) and CCVC263 (serotype 5) had been constructed by using a cDNA representational difference analysis (cDNA-RDA). From the libraries, six potential vaccine candidate genes expressed only in serotype 1 and 13 genes in serotype 5 were identified by antibody screening after gene expression in vitro with a ribosome display system. Eight sequences out of these exhibited 77-100% identity to the corresponding genes in Propionibacterium acnes. The antisera raised against A. pleuropneumoniae serotypes 1 and 5 were reactive with P. acnes at a titer of 1:6400 and vice versa (ELISA titer, 1:3200). Mice immunized with P. acnes were protected against 10 x LD50 challenge with A. pleuropneumoniae serotypes 1 and 5, and the survival rates were 90% and 95%, respectively. Pigs vaccinated with the P. acnes strain could develop high level antibody cross-reacted with A. pleuropneumoniae and obtain noticeable protection from A. pleuropneumoniae infection. These data demonstrate that there were common antigens between A. pleuropneumoniae and P. acnes, and the cross protectivity highlights the possibility of using P. acnes vaccines for preventing infection by A. pleuropneumoniae.