Transport of mistletoe lectin by M cells in human intestinal follicle-associated epithelium (FAE) In vitro

Abstract

Purified mistletoe lectins are known to have cytotoxic and stimulating activities in the immune system. Mistletoe extract has been given subcutaneously because of its unstablity and poor absorption in the Gastrointestinal (GI) tract. A hallmark of M cells is their capacity to internalize material from the lumen and to transfer it efficiently to the underlying lymphoid cells. Although lectins are the prime candidates for oral vaccine delivery, the mechanisms whereby lectins are taken up, transported by M cells, and affect underlying immune cells remain poorly understood. In this study, uptake mechanism of Korean mistletoe lectin (Viscum album L. var. coloratum aggulutinin, VCA) across the human FAE (follicle associated epithelium) was investigated. An inverted FAE model of co-culture was obtained by a co-culture system of Caco-2 cells and human Raji B lymphocytes, and VCA transport across the in vitro model of human FAE was investigated. There was a greater transport of VCA across FAE monolayer cells than that of Caco-2 monolayer cells. These observations will be useful to assess the transport of other orally administered material in the GI tract.

Pathogenesis of Human Enterovirulent Bacteria: Lessons from Cultured, Fully Differentiated Human Colon Cancer Cell Lines

“…Indeed, after coculture with mouse PP lymphocytes, all the fully differentiated Caco-2 cl1 cells were not converted into M cell-like cells, and only randomly distributed M cell-like cells were observed within the Caco-2 cl1 cell monolayer after coculture (223). These M cell-like models have been used to investigate the transport of M cell particles (225,(228)(229)(230)(231)(232) (234,235), the migration of CD8 ϩ intraepithelial lymphocytes isolated from CCR5-deficient mice infected with Toxoplasma gondii (236), and the receptor-mediated intestinal transcytosis of botulinum neurotoxin A (237,238).…”

Anti-cancer effects of enteric-coated polymers containing mistletoe lectin in murine melanoma cells in vitro and in vivo

“…This system produced outstanding results with ideal release profiles and only minimal losses of cytotoxicity in human hepatocarcinoma cells after the manufacturing step [16]. We also studied the transport mechanism of VCA by M cells in human follicle-associated epithelium (FAE) in vitro [30], and the modulation of cytokines and immunoglobulin (Ig) A in intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) [31].…”

Immunotherapy and Immunosurveillance of Oral Cancers: Perspectives of Plasma Medicine and Mistletoe

“…However, cytotoxic concentrations however do exactly this on a very significant level, leading to the assumption that placing the mistletoe lectins peritumorally has provoked exactly this cytotoxic effect. A peritumoral concentration of mistletoe lectins is not achievable by application p.o., because the substances are not stable and absorb badly within the gastrointestinal system [ 18 ].…”