A pan-influenza monoclonal antibody neutralizes H5 strains and prophylactically protects through intranasal administration.

Avian A(H5N1) influenza virus poses an elevated zoonotic threat to humans, and no pharmacological products are currently registered for fast-acting pre-exposure protection in case of spillover leading to a pandemic. Here, we show that an epitope on the stem domain of H5 hemagglutinin is highly conserved and that the human monoclonal antibody CR9114, targeting that epitope, potently neutralizes all pseudotyped H5 viruses tested, even in the rare case of substitutions in its epitope. Further, intranasal administration of CR9114 fully protects mice against A(H5N1) infection at low dosages, irrespective of pre-existing immunity conferred by the quadrivalent seasonal influenza vaccine.

Recombinant C1 inhibitor in brain ischemic injury.

Objective: C1 inhibitor (C1-INH) is an endogenous inhibitor of complement and kinin systems. We have explored the efficacy and the therapeutic window of the recently available human recombinant (rh) C1-INH on ischemic brain injury and investigated its mechanism of action in comparison with that of plasma-derived (pd) C1-INH.

Methods: rhC1-INH was administered intravenously to C57Bl/6 mice undergoing transient or permanent ischemia, and its protective effects were evaluated by measuring infarct volume and neurodegeneration.

Sub-chronic (13-week) oral toxicity study in rats with recombinant human lactoferrin produced in the milk of transgenic cows.

The oral toxicity of recombinant human lactoferrin (rhLF) produced in the milk of transgenic cows was investigated in Wistar rats by daily administration via oral gavage for 13 consecutive weeks, 7 days per week. The study used four groups of 20 rats/sex/dose. The control group received physiological saline and the three test groups received daily doses of 200, 600 and 2000 mg of rhLF per kg body weight.

Effect of skin barrier competence on SLS and water-induced IL-1alpha expression.

For screening of a potential irritant it is essential that an early marker for irritation should be chosen which could be detected before the physiological signs of irritation occur. Interleukin 1 alpha (IL-1alpha) is widely accepted as such a marker in both in vivo and in vitro test systems. In this study, we have determined the mRNA levels of IL-1alpha in the epidermis after topical application of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SLS) in both a commercially available epidermal kit (EpiDerm) and in excised skin.