Autoimmunity and the endocrine system: Thyroid, hypophysis and pregnancy

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Evaluation of Bacillus anthracis extractable antigen for testing anthrax immunity

ABSTRACTThree extractable Bacillus anthracis cell-wall-associated antigens were evaluated for potential use as skin testing agents, and as possible candidates for in-vitro diagnosis of anthrax immunity. Anthraxin and a partially purified extractable antigen (EAP) were produced from avirulent B. anthracis strain 34F2 (Sterne). The thermoextractable antigen used for the Ascoli reaction was obtained commercially. Guineapigs were immunised and boosted several times subcutaneously with the Sterne live veterinary anthrax vaccine. Four weeks after the last booster dose, animals were skin-tested with the three antigens. Serum antibody levels were also determined by ELISA, and the in-vitro T-cell response was evaluated by [3H]-thymidine incorporation. EAP was the most active antigen in both the serological and cellular reactions. EAP also elicited a distinct positive skin reaction in animals immunised with B. anthracis. The data obtained in this preliminary study indicated that extractable cell-wall antigens obtained from the vegetative form of B. anthracis may be used for skin tests and in-vitro testing of specific humoral and cell-mediated anthrax immunity

Autoimmune (auto-inflammatory) syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA) - Animal models as a proof of concept

ASIA syndrome, 'Autoimmune (Auto-inflammatory) Syndromes Induced by Adjuvants' includes at least four conditions which share a similar complex of signs and symptoms and have been defined by hyperactive immune responses: siliconosis, macrophagic myofasciitis syndrome, Gulf war syndrome and post-vaccination phenomena. Exposure to adjuvants has been documented in these four medical conditions, suggesting that the common denominator to these syndromes is a trigger entailing adjuvant activity. An important role of animal models in proving the ASIA concept has been established. Experimentally animal models of autoimmune diseases induced by adjuvants are currently widely used to understand the mechanisms and etiology and pathogenesis of these diseases and might thus promote the development of new diagnostic, predictive and therapeutic methods. In the current review we wish to unveil the variety of ASIA animal models associated with systemic and organ specific autoimmune diseases induced by adjuvants. We included in this review animal models for rheumatoid arthritis-like disease, for systemic lupus erythematosus-like disease, autoimmune thyroid disease-like disease, antiphospholipid syndrome, myocarditis and others. All these models support the concept of ASIA, as the Autoimmune (Auto-inflammatory) Syndrome Induced by Adjuvants. © 2013 Bentham Science Publishers

Гиперстимуляция иммунной системы как причина аутоиммунных заболеваний

The pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases is very complex and multi-factorial. The concept of Mosaics of Autoimmunity was introduced to the scientific community 30 years ago by Y. Shoenfeld and D.A. Isenberg, and since then new tiles to the puzzle are continuously added. This concept specifies general pathological ideas about the multifactorial threshold model for polygenic inheritance with a threshold effect by the action of a number of external causal factors as applied to the field of autoimmunology. Among the external factors that can excessively stimulate the immune system, contributing to the development of autoimmune reactions, researchers are particularly interested in chemical substances, which are widely used in pharmacology and medicine. In this review we highlight the autoimmune dynamics i.e. a multistep pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases and the subsequent development of lymphoma in some cases. In this context several issues are addressed namely, genetic basis of autoimmunity; environmental immunostimulatory risk factors; gene/environmental interaction; pre-clinical autoimmunity with the presence of autoantibodies; and the mechanisms, underlying lymphomagenesis in autoimmune pathology. We believe that understanding the common model of the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases is the first step to their successful management.Аутоиммунопатии являются мультифакториальными заболеваниями со сложным патогенезом. Понятие мозаика аутоиммунитета, конкретизирующее общепатологические представления о концепции аддитивно-полигенного наследования с пороговым эффектом по действию ряда внешних причинных факторов, применительно к сфере аутоиммунологии было представлено научному сообществу 30 лет назад И. Шенфельдом и Д.А. Айзенбергом. С тех пор к мозаике постоянно добавляются новые элементы. Среди внешних факторов, способных избыточно стимулировать иммунную систему, внося свой вклад в развитие аутоиммунных реакций, особое внимание исследователей привлекают химические вещества, широко используемые в фармакологии и медицине. В данном обзоре освещена динамика развития аутоиммунных заболеваний, т.е. их патогенез рассматривается как многоэтапный процесс, в рамках которого также становится возможным объяснить повышенный риск развития лимфом при аутоиммунной патологии. При описании этого многоэтапного процесса уделено внимание следующим аспектам: генетическая основа нарушений аутоиммунитета; экологические иммуностимулирующие факторы риска развития аутоиммунопатий; взаимодействие генетических и средовых факторов; стадия субклинического заболевания с присутствием аутоантител; механизмы, лежащие в основе лимфомагенеза при аутоиммунной патологии. Мы считаем, что создание общей модели патогенеза аутоиммунных заболеваний является первым шагом к их успешному лечению