抄録
Aly (alymphoplasia) /aly mutant (ALY) mice were established as an animal model for immunodeficiency bearing an autosomal recessive gene with lack of lymph nodes and immunoglobulin especially IgA. Recently, Tsubata reported ALY mice exhibited autoimmune multiple exocrinopathy that strikingly resembles human Sjoegren's syndrome. Since the ALY mice lack conventional B cells, they had relatively abundant CD5+B cells producing IL-10 constitutively in lymphoid organs. IL-10 is a soluble protein produced by helper T (Th) cells, macrophages (Mφ), and B cells, that exhibits a wide array of both immunosuppressive and immunostimulatory properites.
In order to explore the pathological significance of IL-10 in autoimmune exocrinopathy, ALY mice were administrated either anti-IL-10 or isotype control antibody continuously from 8 to 24 weeks. At 24 weeks, we sacrificed them and subjected the exocrine organs to pathological examinations.
Inflammatory changes in lacrimal and salivary glands were significantly reduced by anti-IL-10 antibody treatment in ALY mutant mice. These results suggest that IL-10 might be involve the pathophysiology in multiple autoimmune exocrinopathy in ALY mutant mice.
