IMMUNOLOGICAL RESPONSE IN THE PRIMATE OVIDUCT TO A DEFINED RECOMBINANT SPERM IMMUNOGEN

Assessment of immune responses in the oviduct is of importance in unde rstanding reproductive tract responses to infections, vaccination agai nst reproductive tract pathogens, or contraceptive immunogens. This re view discusses a technique that permits repeated sampling of oviductal fluid from the same monkey at intervals spanning up to several years, and the analysis of antigen-specific immunoglobulins in the fluid. Th is technique is important to immunocontraceptive development because p revious studies in primates have lacked information on oviductal immun e responses and contraceptive efficacy may not correlate well with ser um antibody titers. Thus, a reliable method of sampling oviductal flui d before and after immunization with a defined antigen is required to determine the quantity and type of local immune responses necessary to achieve contraceptive effects. Implantation of access ports proved us eful for repeatedly aspirating oviductal fluid in vivo from cynomolgus monkeys that was free from artifactual contaminants and with no obser vable changes in the behavior or health of the animals. Subsequent ass ays of relative and absolute concentrations of antibodies in oviductal fluid and serum demonstrated the presence of IgA and Ige specific for the recombinant sperm immunogen SP-10 in fluid collected from the per iovulatory oviduct of primates after intramuscular inoculations. The a ntibodies evoked by the recombinant sperm vaccinogen recognized the en dogenous antigen target on both human and macaque sperm, lending suppo rt for the possibility of developing a contraceptive immunogen that pr events fertilization. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.