Liposome-based immunotherapy against autoimmune diseases: therapeutic effect on multiple sclerosis

Based on the ability of apoptosis to induce immunological tolerance, liposomes were generated mimicking apoptotic cells, and they arrest autoimmunity in Type 1 diabetes. Our aim was to validate the immunotherapy in other autoimmune disease: multiple sclerosis.

Phosphatidylserine-rich liposomes were loaded with disease-specific autoantigen. Therapeutic capability of liposomes was assessed in vitro and in vivo.

Liposomes induced a tolerogenic phenotype in dendritic cells, and arrested autoimmunity, thus decreasing the incidence, delaying the onset and reducing the severity of experimental disease, correlating with an increase in a probably regulatory CD25⁺ FoxP3^- CD4⁺ T-cell subset.

This is the first work that confirms phosphatidylserine-liposomes as a powerful tool to arrest multiple sclerosis, demonstrating its relevance for clinical application.