Retreatment with HBV siRNA Results in Additional Reduction in HBV Antigenemia and Immune Stimulation in the AAV-HBV Mouse Model
Treatment with siRNAs that target HBV has demonstrated robust declines in HBV antigens. This effect is also observed in the AAV-HBV mouse model, which was used to investigate if two cycles of GalNAc-HBV-siRNA treatment could induce deeper declines in HBsAg levels or prevent rebound, and to provide i...
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Veröffentlicht in: | Viruses 2024-02, Vol.16 (3), p.347 |
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Sprache: | eng |
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Zusammenfassung: | Treatment with siRNAs that target HBV has demonstrated robust declines in HBV antigens. This effect is also observed in the AAV-HBV mouse model, which was used to investigate if two cycles of GalNAc-HBV-siRNA treatment could induce deeper declines in HBsAg levels or prevent rebound, and to provide insights into the liver immune microenvironment.
C57Bl/6 mice were transduced with one of two different titers of AAV-HBV for 28 days, resulting in stable levels of HBsAg of about 10
or 10
IU/mL. Mice were treated for 12 weeks (four doses q3wk) per cycle with 3 mg/kg of siRNA-targeting HBV or an irrelevant sequence either once (single treatment) or twice (retreatment) with an 8-week treatment pause in between. Blood was collected to evaluate viral parameters. Nine weeks after the last treatment, liver samples were collected to perform phenotyping, bulk RNA-sequencing, and immunohistochemistry.
Independent of HBsAg baseline levels, treatment with HBV-siRNA induced a rapid decline in HBsAg levels, which then plateaued before gradually rebounding 12 weeks after treatment stopped. A second cycle of HBV-siRNA treatment induced a further decline in HBsAg levels in serum and the liver, reaching undetectable levels and preventing rebound when baseline levels were 10
IU/mL. This was accompanied with a significant increase in inflammatory macrophages in the liver and significant upregulation of regulatory T-cells and T-cells expressing immune checkpoint receptors.
Retreatment induced an additional decline in HBsAg levels, reaching undetectable levels when baseline HBsAg levels were 3log
or less. This correlated with T-cell activation and upregulation of
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ISSN: | 1999-4915 1999-4915 |
DOI: | 10.3390/v16030347 |