Performance of novel infection phase-dependent antigens in syphilis serodiagnosis and treatment efficacy determination.

Objective: The objective of this study was to screen new antigens for syphilis serodiagnosis.

Methods: First, we determined whether the Treponema pallidum proteins Tp0971, Tp0768 and Tp0462 were infection phase-dependent antigens by observing serum reactivity differences in New Zealand rabbits infected with activated or inactivated T. pallidum.

Intramuscular primary immunization by nucleic acid vaccine pcDNA/Gpd-IL-2 and enhanced immunization with mucosal adjuvant CpG-ODN and Gpd-IL-2 recombinant protein effectively induced strong mucosal immune responses and immune protective effects against skin infection.

The present study aimed to evaluate the immune effect of intramuscular primary immunization by the nucleic acid vaccine pcDNA/glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase-interleukin-2 (pcDNA/Gpd-IL-2) and enhanced immunization 2 weeks later with the combination of mucosal adjuvant CpG-oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) and Gpd-IL-2 recombinant protein on skin infection caused by (Tp) in New Zealand rabbits. At week 8 following immunization, MTT assay was used to detect spleen cell proliferation, while enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to detect the cytokine and secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) levels. At week 10 after primary immunization, rabbits were inoculated with 10 Tp (Nichols strain).

Serological evaluation of antigen Tp0693 for diagnosis of syphilis.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of the (Tp) antigen Tp0693 for syphilis. ELISA was used to examine the serum levels of Tp0693. The sample-to-cutoff ratio (S/CO) value was used to generate a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

A preliminary study on the proinflammatory mechanisms of Treponema pallidum outer membrane protein Tp92 in human macrophages and HMEC-1 cells.

Aims: To determine proinflammatory mechanisms of Treponema pallidum outer membrane protein Tp92 in the early syphilis infection in human macrophages and HMEC-1 cells.

Methods: Recombinant Tp92 protein was used to stimulate target human macrophages and HMEC-1 cells. PDTC (Pyrrolidinedithiocarbamic acid), SB202190 and Z-YVAD-FMK were used to block the MyD88/NF-κB, MAPKs/p38 and NLRP3/Caspase-1 pathway, respectively.