Immunostimulatory Agent Evaluation: Lymphoid Tissue Extraction and Injection Route-Dependent Dendritic Cell Activation

J Vis Exp. 2018 Sep 16:(139):57640. doi: 10.3791/57640.

Abstract

For evaluation of a new therapeutic agent for immunotherapy or vaccination, analysis of immune cell activation in lymphatic tissues is essential. Here, we investigated immunological effects of a novel lipid-DNA immunostimulant in nanoparticle form from different administration routes in the mouse: oral, intranasal, subcutaneous, footpad, intraperitoneal, and intravenous. These injections will directly influence the immune response, and harvesting lymphatic tissues and analysis of dendritic cell (DC) activation in the tissues are crucial parts of these evaluations. The extraction of mediastinal lymph nodes (mLNs) is important but quite complex because of the size and location of this organ. A stepwise procedure for harvesting the inguinal lymph node (iLN), mLN, and spleen and analyzing DC activation by flow cytometry is described.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Video-Audio Media

MeSH terms

  • Adjuvants, Immunologic / chemistry
  • Adjuvants, Immunologic / pharmacology*
  • Animals
  • DNA / chemistry
  • Dendritic Cells / drug effects*
  • Dendritic Cells / immunology*
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Injections
  • Lipids / chemistry
  • Lymphoid Tissue / cytology*
  • Lymphoid Tissue / immunology
  • Mice
  • Nanoparticles / chemistry

Substances

  • Adjuvants, Immunologic
  • Lipids
  • DNA