Purpose: To evaluate the ability of a water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion containing ovalbumin (OVA), a model antigen, to induce oral tolerance and to elucidate the mechanism for the induction of oral tolerance by the emulsion system.
Methods: A W/O emulsion containing OVA was prepared and evaluated its ability to induce oral tolerance in mice. Also, the Th1/Th2 balance in the mice tolerized was investigated in terms of the ratios of anti-OVA IgG2a titer to anti-OVA IgG1 titer (IgG2a/IgG1 ratios) and cytokine profiles.
Results: Anti-OVA total IgG antibody titer of mice administered OVA in saline was approximately 3.5-fold higher than that of the mice administered OVA in W/O emulsion at a dose of 0.1 mg/mouse/day. Similar total IgG responses were observed between the above two at a dose of 1 mg/mouse/day. The IgG2a/IgG1 ratios decreased as the dose of OVA in W/O emulsion, but not in saline, increased at doses of 0, 0.1, and 1 mg/mouse/day. Interferon-gamma secretion of PLN cells from the mice administered OVA in W/O emulsion decreased, whereas their interleukin-4 secretion remained high. Although interferon-gamma secretion for the mice administered OVA in saline decreased, interleukin-4 secretion did not change.
Conclusions: The present study suggests that oral delivery of OVA via the W/O emulsion system may more efficiently enhance the induction of Th2-dominated imbalance than that of OVA in saline.