Pay more attention to the immunologically comparative evaluation of HIV-1 DNA vaccine in combination with adjuvant cytokines: a long way to go

摘要

To the Editor: A recent article entitled "HIV-1 DNA vaccine with adjuvant cytokines induces specific immune responses against HIV-1 infection in mice" was published in the Chinese Medical Journal. The authors descriptively analyzed the adjuvant potential of an interleukin-12 (IL-12), interleukin-18 (IL-18), regulated on activation of normal T-cell expressed and secreted factor (RANTES), macrophage inflammatory protein 1 alpha (MIP-1α) or stromal cell derived factor 1 (SDF-1) plasmid when co-immunized with an HIV Gag gene-based DNA vaccine. Consequently the authors believed that IL-12, IL-18, or SDF-1 plasmid DNA potentially serves as immune adjuvants in combination with therapeutic HIV-1 DNA vaccine. The RANTES, MIP-1α plasmid DNA potentially serves as immune adjuvants in combination with HIV-1 prophylactic vaccine. Although the experiment allows us to consider such a coinoculation strategy as one of the means against HIV-1 infection, some special attentions should be highlighted.