Conclusions
IL17A peptide-based vaccine may be a therapeutic option for SpA treatment.
Methods
HLA-B27/human β2-microglobulin (hβ2M) transgenic rats were immunised with heat-inactivated Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MT) to develop spondylitis and arthritis as an experimental SpA model after immunisation with a keyhole limpet hemocyanin-conjugated IL17A peptide-based vaccine with an alum adjuvant three times. The IL17A antibody titre was assessed using ELISA, and arthritis score and joint thickness were monitored two times a week. Enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISpot) assays for IL4- and interferon-γ-secreting splenocytes were conducted to evaluate IL17A-specific T cell activation. We also evaluated the effect of IL17A vaccine in SpA therapeutic model.
Results
The IL17A peptide-based vaccine with alum adjuvant successfully induced antibody production and suppressed the arthritis score and joint thickness. X-ray and histological analyses showed that enthesitis, bone destruction and new bone formation were inhibited by the IL17A vaccine. The ELISpot assay showed that the IL17A peptide-based vaccine did not elicit any IL17A-reactive T cell responses. IL17A vaccine tends to mitigate, but not significant, in SpA treatment model. These data showed that the peptide-based vaccine targeting IL17A alleviated the SpA phenotype in a heat-inactivated MT-induced SpA model in HLA-B27/hβ2M transgenic rats. Conclusions: IL17A peptide-based vaccine may be a therapeutic option for SpA treatment.