NKT Cells Stimulated by Long Fatty Acyl Chain Sulfatides Significantly Reduces the Incidence of Type 1 Diabetes in Nonobese Diabetic Mice
Figure 1
Structure-function analyses of sulfatides.
(A) Structures of the C16:0, C24:0 and C24:1 sulfatide isoforms. (B) Treatment with sulfatide reduces the incidence of spontaneous T1D in NOD mice. Female NOD wild type (CD1d+/+) mice (12 week-old, n = 10–12/group) were injected once weekly for 3 weeks with 20 mg of either sulfatide, GM1 or PBS-vehicle until 15 weeks of age. The P value between the values in the control (PBS/vehicle or mGM1) versus sulfatide group was <0.0001. The occurrence of spontaneous T1D was followed for up to 30–34 weeks of age by measuring BGL. Two consecutive BGL readings of >250 mg/dl was considered diabetic. These data are representative of 4 independent experiments. (C) Treatment of NOD mice with C24:0 but not C16:0 sulfatide reduces the lymphocyte-mediated adoptive transfer of T1D. Female NOD mice (3–5 week-old, n = 10/group) were injected i.p. with either control vehicle (PBS), aGalCer (4 mg/dose) or sulfatide (C16:0 or C24:0, 100 mg/dose) on day 0 and day 4. Pooled splenocytes and PLN lymphocytes (2×107) were transferred to female NOD.Scid recipients, and the recipient mice were monitored until 24 weeks of age for the development of T1D by determining their BGL. Results shown are representative of 3 independent and reproducible experiments.