Gene therapy for allergic rhinitis with recombinant adenovirus vector containing CTLA4Ig in mice

Objective: To examine the role of recombinant adenovirus vector containing CTLA4Ig gene( Ad-CTLA4Ig) in the treatment of induced allergic rhinitis in mice. Methods: Allergic rhinitis was induced by sensitizing and challenging with ovalbumin ( OVA). Ad-CTLA4Ig was intraperitoneally injected 30 min before OVA challenge. Adenovirus vector without inserted CTLA4Ig cDNA served as the control. The symptoms and morphological changes of nasal mucosa of each group were observed, and the serum levels of IgE against OVA were detected with ELISA. Results: There were no obvious symptoms and pathological changes in Ad-CTLA4Ig treated group, in which the serum OVA-specific IgE levels were significantly lower than that in control groups (P < 0. 05). Conclusion: Ad-CTLA4Ig prevents and treats allergic rhinitis of mice, implying the possibility of the usage of Ad-CTLA4Ig against allergic rhinitis in clinic in future.