Antibody-mediated immunomodulation: a strategy to improve host responses against microbial antigens

LJ Brady - Infection and immunity, 2005 - Am Soc Microbiol
Infection and immunity, 2005Am Soc Microbiol
The immunoregulatory properties of antibody have been recognized since the earliest
passive immunization experiments, and the potential to modulate an immune response by
deliberate immunization with antigen bound by antibody has been demonstrated in
numerous instances over the decades (2, 6, 15, 18, 19, 37, 42, 52, 61, 62, 64, 75, 77, 89, 92,
100, 103, 105, 110, 115–117, 120, 127, 130). The concept of using a combination of
antibody and antigen to improve the host response is not new and has been rediscovered …
The immunoregulatory properties of antibody have been recognized since the earliest passive immunization experiments, and the potential to modulate an immune response by deliberate immunization with antigen bound by antibody has been demonstrated in numerous instances over the decades (2, 6, 15, 18, 19, 37, 42, 52, 61, 62, 64, 75, 77, 89, 92, 100, 103, 105, 110, 115–117, 120, 127, 130). The concept of using a combination of antibody and antigen to improve the host response is not new and has been rediscovered for different applications many times over. In his later years, the first Nobel laureate, Emil von Behring, expanded on the approach of passive immunization and sought to induce immunity against diphtheria in children by administering a combination of diphtheria toxin and antitoxin (43). Enhancing or suppressive effects of antibody have been documented depending on the particular antigen-antibody interaction, and the underlying molecular mechanisms by which antibody can alter an immune response are being elucidated.
Historically, the connotation of immune response activation via immune complexes has generally been perceived as negative, and a plethora of literature regarding pathological associations abounds. However, the benefit of utilizing antibody in combination with antigen to achieve a desirable immune response is far less appreciated and is the focus of this minireview. There is increasing recognition that exogenously administered antibody may exert a therapeutic effect by redirecting the host response rather than by playing a purely passive role (16, 18, 26, 45, 53, 55, 56, 84, 90, 93, 100, 114, 129). Both polyclonal and monoclonal reagents, administered either alone or in combination with antigen, have been used to up-regulate beneficial or protective immune responses against infectious agents and malignant tumors as well as to down-regulate deleterious responses associated with inffammation, autoimmunity, and hypersensitivity (8, 55, 57, 58, 84, 102, 110). In light of a growing body of literature, the practicality of employing preformed antibody to manipulate an immune response toward a desired end is becoming more apparent and will broaden the strategies for active and passive immunization approaches against infectious disease.
American Society for Microbiology