Tolerogenic dendritic cells (tolDCs) are explored as a promising standalone or combination therapy in type 1 diabetes (T1D). The therapeutic application of tolDCs, including in human trials, has been tested also in other autoimmune diseases, however, T1D displays some unique features. In addition, unlike in several disease-induced animal models of autoimmune diseases, the prevalent animal model for T1D, the NOD mouse, develops diabetes spontaneously. This review compares evidence of various tolDCs approaches obtained from animal (mainly NOD) models of T1D with a focus on parameters of this cell-based therapy such as protocols of tolDC preparation, antigen-specific vs. unspecific approaches, doses of tolDCs and/or autoantigens, application schemes, application routes, the migration of tolDCs as well as their preventive, early pre-onset intervention or curative effects. This review also discusses perspectives of tolDC therapy and areas of preclinical research that are in need of better clarification in animal models in a quest for effective and optimal tolDC therapies of T1D in humans.

• Keywords
• NOD mouse, animal models, cell therapy, protocol optimization, tolerogenic dendritic cells, type 1 diabetes,
• MeSH
• Dendritic Cells immunology   transplantation   MeSH
• Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 immunology   MeSH
• Immune Tolerance immunology   MeSH
• Disease Models, Animal MeSH
• Mice, Inbred NOD MeSH
• Mice MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Mice MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Review MeSH

UNLABELLED: Tolerogenic DCs (tolDCs) are being researched as a promising intervention strategy also in autoimmune diseases including type 1 diabetes (T1D). T1D is a T-cell-mediated, organ-specific disease with several well-defined and rather specific autoantigens, i.e., proinsulin, insulin, glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65), that have been used in animal as well as human intervention trials in attempts to achieve a more efficient, specific immunotherapy. In this study, we have tested tolerogenic DCs for their effectiveness to prevent adoptive transfer of diabetes by diabetogenic splenocytes into non-obese diabetes (NOD)-severe combined immunodeficiency (NOD-SCID) recipients. While i.p. application of tolDCs prepared from bone marrow of prediabetic NOD mice by vitamin D2 and dexamethasone significantly reduced diabetes transfer into the NOD-SCID females, this effect was completely abolished when tolDCs were loaded with the mouse recombinant GAD65, but also with a control protein-ovalbumin (OVA). The effect was not dependent on the presence of serum in the tolDC culture. Similar results were observed in NOD mice. Removal of possible bystander antigen-presenting cells within the diabetogenic splenocytes by negative magnetic sorting of T cells did not alter this surprising effect. Tolerogenic DCs loaded with an immunodominant mouse GAD65 peptide also displayed diminished diabetes-preventive effect. Tolerogenic DCs were characterized by surface maturation markers (CD40, CD80, CD86, MHC II) and the lipopolysaccharide stability test. Data from alloreactive T cell proliferation and cytokine induction assays (IFN-γ) did not reveal the differences observed in the diabetes incidence. Migration of tolDCs, tolDCs-GAD65 and tolDCs-OVA to spleen, mesenteric- and pancreatic lymph nodes displayed similar, mucosal pattern with highest accumulation in pancreatic lymph nodes present up to 9 days after the i.p. APPLICATION: These data document that mechanisms by which tolDCs operate in vivo require much better understanding for improving efficacy of this promising cell therapy, especially in the presence of an antigen, e.g., GAD65.

• Keywords
• autoantigen, cell therapy, dendritic cells, glutamic acid decarboxylase 65, non-obese diabetes mice, non-obese diabetes-severe combined immunodeficiency mouse, tolerogenic, type 1 diabetes,
• MeSH
• Autoantigens immunology   MeSH
• Dendritic Cells immunology   MeSH
• Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 immunology   MeSH
• Glutamate Decarboxylase immunology   MeSH
• Immune Tolerance immunology   MeSH
• Disease Models, Animal MeSH
• Mice, Inbred C57BL MeSH
• Mice, Inbred NOD MeSH
• Mice, SCID MeSH
• Mice MeSH
• Adoptive Transfer MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Mice MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Autoantigens MeSH
• Glutamate Decarboxylase MeSH
• glutamate decarboxylase 2 MeSH Browser