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Laboratory science
Systemic overexpression of IFN-γ and IL-5 exacerbates early phase reaction and conjunctival eosinophilia, respectively, in experimental allergic conjunctivitis
  1. W Ishida1,
  2. E Tsuru2,
  3. A Tominaga3,
  4. J-i Miyazaki4,
  5. T Higuchi5,
  6. S Sakamoto5,
  7. A Fukushima1
  1. 1
    Department of Ophthalmology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi, Japan
  2. 2
    Division of Laboratory Animal Science, Science Research Center, Kochi University, Kochi, Japan
  3. 3
    Division of Human Health and Medical Science, Graduate School of Kuroshio Science, Kochi University, Kochi, Japan
  4. 4
    Division of Stem Cell Regulation Research, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
  5. 5
    Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Science Research Center, Kochi Medical School, Kochi, Japan
  1. Correspondence to Professor A Fukushima, Department of Ophthalmology, Kochi Medical School, Kohasu, Oko-cho, Nankoku-city 783-8505, Japan; fukusima{at}kochi-u.ac.jp

Abstract

Aims/background: To investigate how systemic overexpression of IL-4, IL-5 and IFN-γ affects the severity of experimental conjunctivitis (EC) in mice.

Methods: The tibialis anterior muscle of naive BALB/c mice was electroporated with IL-4, IL-5, IFN-γ or a control gene, and then the mice blood and conjunctivas were harvested to measure the eosinophil content in these tissues. To evaluate the effects of cytokine gene electroporation on the early-phase reaction (EPR), cytokine gene-electroporated ragweed (RW)-immunised mice were intravenously injected with Evans Blue (EB) and then challenged with RW in eye-drops. Thirty minutes later, their conjunctivas were harvested to extract EB and evaluate the EPR. Additionally, 24 h after RW challenge, conjunctivas were harvested from cytokine gene-electroporated RW-immunised mice, which had not received intravenous injection of EB, to measure conjunctival eosinophilia.

Results: Significantly more eosinophils were detected in the blood and conjunctivas of IL-5-electroporated mice in which EC was not induced. The intensity of the EPR was significantly greater in IFN-γ-electroporated mice. Significantly greater eosinophil infiltration was seen in the conjunctivas of IL-5-electroporated EC-developing mice.

Conclusions: It appears that systemic IL-5 and IFN-γ play different roles in the development of EC.

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Footnotes

  • Competing interests None.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.