In this study, we aim to develop a pH-sensitive transmembrane peptide TH (AGYLLGHINLHH LAHL (Aib) HHIL-Cys) modified liposome loaded with immunoadjuvant α-galactosylceramides (αGC-TH-Lip) and then investigate its effect on the immune function in tumor-bearing mice and its immune mechanism of action. The liposomes were prepared by membrane dispersion-probe ultrasound method and the size and zeta potential of αGC-TH-Lip were also characterized. The uptake of TH modified liposomes (TH-Lip) and polyethylene glycols modified liposomes (PEG-Lip) in DC2.4 cells in vitro were analyzed and the activation of natural killer T (NKT), natural killer (NK) and macrophages in tumor-bearing mice were also measured after systemic administrations of samples. Besides, the degree of maturation of dendritic cell (DC), the number of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) and the differentiation of helper T cell (Th) were determined. The results showed the particle size of αGC-TH-Lip was about 117.9 nm and the zeta potential was about-8.37 mV under the neutral condition (pH 7.4) and the αGC-TH-Lip had high serum stability in 50% fetal bovine serum. The uptake of TH-Lip in DC2.4 cells in vitro was 1.48 times higher than that of PEG-Lip. After systemic administrations of the samples, the numbers of NKT cells, NK cells and macrophages in tumor-bearing mice were (0.43±0.048)%, (12.80±0.50)% and (3.13±0.26)%, respectively, and the number of mature DCs and CTLs reached (2.30±0.22)% and (32.30±0.80)% separately, which was significantly different from the con-trol group. Finally, we discovered the αGC-TH-Lip had the strongest induction effect on the differentiation of Th1 cells, while barely promote the differentiation of Th2 cells. All the above results demonstrated that the αGC-TH-Lip can improve the immune the activity of mice, enhance the effect of α-galactosylceramide and promote the differentiation of lymphocytes toward the direction of cellular immunity, which consequently achieve a better anti-cancer immune activity.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |