Immune Response and Protective Efficacy of a Heterologous DNA-Protein Immunization with Leishmania Superoxide Dismutase B1

Figure 7

Postchallenge cytokine response of mice immunized with LdFeSODB1 antigen. IFN-γ (a) and IL-10 (b) production in stimulated spleen cells was measured using cytokine ELISA. Mice immunized twice with pcDNA-LdFeSODB1 or pcDNA-mGMCSF-LdFeSODB were boosted with rLdFeSODB1. The control mice received three doses of pcDNA, pcDNA-mGMCSF, or CpG ODN alone. Mice were infected with stationary phase L major three weeks after the last immunization. Cytokine ELISA was done on antigen-stimulated and control spleen cells isolated from mice at eight weeks after infection. The data represent the mean cytokine concentration of five mice per group. The mean IFN-γ/IL-10 ratios in cells stimulated with rLdFeSODB1 and SLA are depicted in (c) and (d), respectively. Statistical comparison between groups was performed using Mann–Whitney test. Asterisks indicate statistically significant difference in the cytokine production between mice immunized with antigen and the respective control ().

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)