1. Nano-multilamellar lipid vesicles loaded with a recombinant form of the chikungunya virus E2 protein improve the induction of virus-neutralizing antibodies.
- Author
-
Venceslau-Carvalho AA, Teixeira de Pinho Favaro M, Ramos Pereira L, Rodrigues-Jesus MJ, Santos Pereira S, Andreata-Santos R, Dos Santos Alves RP, Castro-Amarante MF, Bitencourt Rodrigues K, Ramos da Silva J, Rahal Guaragna Machado R, Dos Passos Cunha M, Marinho de Andrade Zanotto P, Luzetti Fotoran W, Wunderlich G, Durigon EL, and de Souza Ferreira LC
- Subjects
- Animals, Antibodies, Neutralizing biosynthesis, Antibodies, Neutralizing drug effects, Antibodies, Neutralizing immunology, Antibodies, Viral biosynthesis, Antibodies, Viral drug effects, Antibodies, Viral immunology, Chikungunya Fever therapy, Chikungunya Fever virology, Chikungunya virus pathogenicity, Humans, Liposomes chemistry, Liposomes pharmacology, Mice, Nanoparticles chemistry, Viral Envelope Proteins pharmacology, Viral Vaccines immunology, Chikungunya Fever immunology, Chikungunya virus immunology, Liposomes immunology, Viral Envelope Proteins genetics
- Abstract
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is responsible for a self-limited illness that can evolve into long-lasting painful joint inflammation. In this study, we report a novel experimental CHIKV vaccine formulation of lipid nanoparticles loaded with a recombinant protein derived from the E2 structural protein. This antigen fragment, designated ∆E2.1, maintained the antigenicity of the native viral protein and was specifically recognized by antibodies induced in CHIKV-infected patients. The antigen has been formulated into nanoparticles consisting of nano-multilamellar vesicles (NMVs) combined with the adjuvant monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA). The vaccine formulation demonstrated a depot effect, leading to controlled antigen release, and induced strong antibody responses significantly higher than in mice immunized with the purified protein combined with the adjuvant. More relevantly, E2-specific antibodies raised in mice immunized with ∆E2.1-loaded NMV-MPLA neutralized CHIKV under in vitro conditions. Taken together, the results demonstrated that the new nanoparticle-based vaccine formulation represents a promising approach for the development of effective anti-CHIKV vaccines., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF