Abstract
It has been hypothesized that lactic acid bacteria (LAB) could be used as adjuvant for specific immunotherapy (SIT), as various studies conducted on humans and animals converge to define LAB as anti-Th2 modulators and Treg inducers. In the present study we evaluated the effects of LAB, in particular Lactobacillus paracasei Lp6 (Lp6), in a mouse model of ragweed (RW) allergy. Groups of Balb/c mice, experimentally sensitized towards ragweed, were treated by viable Lp6 or by RW-allergoid with or without co-administration of Lp6. A control group was sham-sensitized with PBS and sham-treated with water and a group was sensitized with RW and treated with water. Serum IgE, RW-induced release of IFN-γ, IL-4 and IL-10 from splenocytes and the frequency of CD4CD25 regulatory T cells (Tregs) expressing Foxp3 or IL-10 were evaluated in various groups. RW-allergoid treatment induced a reduction of serum IgE, with a decrease in RW-induced release of IL-4, and an increase in IL-10 and IFN-γ, along with a significant change in the frequency of Tregs, both CD25+ and -. The joint RW-allergoid+Lp6 treatment induced the highest degree of suppression of allergen-driven IL-4, the greatest reduction of IL-4/IFN-γ and IL-4/IL-10 ratios and the most significant increase of Foxp3 and IL-10 expressing Tregs: The study shows that Lp6 strengthens the immune modulation induced by allergoid-SIT in RW-sensitized mice, essentially characterized by a differential induction of Tregs associated to a reduction of IL-4; data converge to define a role of SIT adjuvant for Lp6.