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The Microbiota Determines Susceptibility to Experimental Autoimmune Uveoretinitis
Jarmila Heissigerova1, Petra Seidler Stangova1, Aneta Klimova1
1Department of Ophthalmology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, U Nemocnice 2, 12808 Prague 2, Czech Republic.
Journal of Immunology Research
|June 14, 2016
Summary
The gut microbiota influences autoimmune inflammation. Reducing gut microbes protected mice from severe experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU), suggesting microbiota modulation for immune system regulation.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Microbiology
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- The gut microbiota plays a critical role in modulating the host immune system.
- Understanding the microbiota's impact on autoimmune diseases is crucial for developing new therapeutic strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how the absence or reduction of gut microbiota affects the inflammatory response in experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU).
- To determine the role of microbiota in regulating adaptive immune responses during EAU.
Main Methods:
- Experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU) was induced in germ-free (GF) and conventionally housed (CV) mice.
- CV mice received broad-spectrum antibiotics to reduce microbiota before or during EAU induction.
- Inflammation severity was assessed via fundus biomicroscopy and histology; T cell populations were analyzed by flow cytometry.
Main Results:
- GF mice and mice with reduced microbiota one week prior to EAU induction showed protection from severe autoimmune inflammation.
- GF mice exhibited lower macrophage and T cell infiltration in the retina compared to CV mice.
- GF mice had fewer IFN-γ and IL-17-producing T cells and more regulatory T cells in draining lymph nodes.
Conclusions:
- The presence of microbiota during autoantigen recognition influences the adaptive immune response.
- Microbiota reduction can protect against severe autoimmune inflammation, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target for conditions like EAU.
