Compartmentalisation between gut and lung mucosae in a model of secondary immunodeficiency. Effect of thymomodulin

M.E.ROUX,; MARQUEZ M GABRIELA; SOFÍA OLMOS; CECILIA FRECHA; ALEJO FLORIN CHRISTENSEN

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF IMMUNOPATHOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY

Biolife sas

Lugar: Chieti; Año: 2003 vol. 16 p. 151 - 156

0394-6320

Compartmentalization of mucosal immune response seems to be the result mainly of the preferential migration of activated cells back t their inductive sites. The aim of this report was to demostrate , in a model of secondary immunodeficiency in Wistar rats (severely protein deprived at weaning and refed with casein 20%, group R21), that the oral administration of Thymomodulin (group R21TmB) has different effects on gut and BALT (Bronhus-associated lymphoid tissue). Tissues sections (5microns) were studied by immunochemistry. 1) The oral administration of thymomodulin restores only in gut lamina propria (LP) the IgA and CD4 T cell populatrions to control levels. The CD8 a and CD25 subpopulations do not vary in gut as they return to cxontrol levels when refed with 20% casein diet. All the populations mentioned above remained decreased even after receiving Thymomodulin by the oral rout. However, the same behaviour was observed for the TCR delta T cells that were decreased and return to normal levels in both mucosae by the effect of the immunomodulator; 2) when studying the iIEL (intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes) CD8a, CD25 and TCRgama/delta T cells, that were increased in R21, return to control levels in R21TmB. In BALT intraepithelium CD8a and CD25 T cells remained decreased, while only TCR gama/delta T cells (increased in R21) return to control values. Conclusions: 1) there exists a compartmentalisation between both mucosae, as T CD4+ and IgA B+ cells are restored by TmB only in gut; 2) only those iIEL involved in inflammation (CD8a+/CD25+ and TCRgama/delta+/CD25+) are normalised by means of the Thymomodulin 3) however, in BALT, only TCRgama/delta+ T cells are restored. 4) the oral administration of the present immunomodulator may be used as a therapeutic agent, although the preferential survival in the tissue of initial stimulation is the major factor in the preferential distribution of activated cells.