Common mucosal immune system

Castro, G.A. and Amtzen, C.J. (1993) Immunophysiology of the gut a research frontier for integrative studies of the common mucosal immune system. American Journal of Physiology G599-G610. 

The common mucosal immune system (CMIS) is now well established as a separate component of the host s immune apparatus, quite distinct from and independent of the systemic immune system described above. Moreover, if an immune response is induced at one site in the mucosal system this generally leads to responses at distal mucosal sites of the CMIS, presenting a potentially large advantage. It should be noted that there are approximately 6 x 1010 antibody producing cells in mucosal tissues and 2.5 x 1010 lymphocytes in the entire lymphatic system. 

Mucosal immunization prevents pathogens from infiltrating or infecting the body whereas systemic immunization resolves an infection after the invasion has occurred, thereby suppressing the disease. There is also clear evidence that both systemic and mucosal immunity is induced by mucosal immunization. As noted earlier, there is also evidence that immunization at a single site in the body can result in protection of the entire mucosal system so there must be some form of communication between sites and this justifies the term common mucosal immune system. 

Nevertheless, there is also accumulating evidence that a certain regionalization exists in the mucosal immune system, in particular a dichotomy between the gut and the upper respiratory tract. Differences in the antigenic repertoire, adhesion molecules or chemokines involved in leukocyte extravasation might explain this disparity. Primed immune cells may tend to home to the effector sites corresponding to the inductive sites, where the initial antigen contact took place. Such regionalization within the common mucosal immune system has to be taken into account in the development of certain mucosal vaccines [11]. 

Mestecky J The common mucosal immune system and current strategies for induction of immune responses in external secretions. J Clin Immunol 1987 4 265-276. 

Figure 6.16 The common mucosal immune system (CMIS). Uptake of antigen by the M cells of the Peyer s patches stimulates the production of Ig-A committed B cells and T helper cells. These cells migrate through the lymphatics and...

Kiyono, H., Miller, C.J., Lu, Y., Lehner T. el al. (1995).The common mucosal immune system for the reproductive tract basic principles applied toward an AIDS vaccine. Adv. Drug Del. Rev., 18 23-51. 

Common Mucosal Immune System (Blood and lymph tissue)... 

Oral delivery of drugs with microparticles is often used for vaccination. Oral administration of vaccines dehvers molecules to the gastrointestinal tract, the largest mucosal surface in the body. The gastrointestinal tract is rich in lymphoid tissue and thus gives access to the common mucosal immune system. Rajkannan et al. developed... 

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