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Therapeutic properties of Helicobacter pylori-derived vacuolating cytotoxin A in an animal model of chronic allergic airway disease

Jonas Raspe, Mona S. Schmitz, Kimberly Barbet, Georgia C. Caso, T. Cover, A. Müller, C. Taube, S. Reuter

Respiratory Research, 2023

11 citations

Abstract

Background It has previously been shown that the Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori )-derived molecule vacuolating cytotoxin A (VacA) could be suitable for the treatment of allergic airway disease. The therapeutic activity of the protein, which acts through modulation of dendritic cells (DC) and regulatory T cells (Tregs), was demonstrated in murine short-term acute models. The aim of this study is to further evaluate the therapeutic potential of VacA by determining the effectiveness of different application routes and the suitability of the protein for treating the chronic phase of allergic airway disease. Methods VacA was administered by the intraperitoneal (i.p.), oral (p.o.) or intratracheal (i.t.) routes, and long-term therapeutic effectiveness, allergic airway disease hallmarks, and immune phenotype were analyzed in murine models of acute and chronic allergic airway disease. Results Administration of VacA via the i.p., p.o or i.t. routes was associated with a reduction in airway inflammation. The i.p. route showed the most consistent effect in reducing airway inflammation and i.p. treatment with VacA was the only treatment that significantly reduced mucus cell hyperplasia. In a murine model of chronic allergic airway disease, both short- and long-term treatment with VacA showed a therapeutic effect, with a reduction in a variety of asthma hallmarks, including bronchoalveolar lavage eosinophilia, lung inflammation and goblet cell metaplasia. Short-term treatment was…

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