THE USE OF ORAL TOLERANCE AS A THERAPY FOR OCULAR AUTOIMMUNITY

Mucosal surfaces throughout the body are the main protective structure s against the heavy antigen burden from the environment. The ability t o distinguish between noxious agents that should be kept in check and innocuous or beneficial substances that should be ignored is one of th e most interesting phenomenon in immunology. Oral tolerance is the phe nomenon by which exposure to a soluble antigen through the mucosal sur face results in subsequent inability to mount an immune response to th e same antigen upon challenge by a different route. This type of toler ance-inducing mechanism has been recognized for many years as an effec tive approach to induce peripheral tolerance to soluble proteins. Rece nt achievements in the use of oral tolerance in the treatment of autoi mmune diseases are reviewed here. Special emphasis is placed on the us e of this immunotherapeutic approach to uveitis. The role of cytokines , CD4+ cells, CD8+ cells, as well as the putative mechanisms by which oral tolerance is induced, are discussed.