Aminobisphosphonates Potentiate Non-Specific Immunological Memory

Innate immune cells have the ability to acquire non-specific immunological memory (NIM), which provides resistance to a variety of bacterial and viral infections. Experiments in vitro and in vivo have verified the hypothesis that the farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase inhibitor (aminobisphosphonates) can potentiate BCG-induced NIM. The aminobisphosphonate zoledronate induced the NIM phenotype in human monocyte cultures and provided nonspecific protection against staphylococcal infection in mice. Additionally, zoledronate significantly enhanced BCG-induced NIM, resulting in a synergistic protective effect. The phenomenon of potentiation of NIM/anti-infectious resistance discovered by us can form the basis for designing powerful universal vaccines of a new type.