Evaluation of the adjuvant effect of imiquimod and CpG ODN 1826 in chimeric DNA vaccine against Japanese encephalitis

Jul 31, 2024International immunopharmacology

Boosting a DNA Vaccine Against Japanese Encephalitis Using Imiquimod and CpG Molecules

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Abstract

The combination of the chimeric DNA vaccine pJME-LC3 with TLR7/8 and TLR9 agonists enhanced immune responses against Japanese encephalitis.

The TLR7/8 agonist imiquimod and the TLR9 agonist CpG ODN 1826 were tested as adjuvants for the pJME-LC3 vaccine.
This combination improved the innate immune response by promoting the maturation and activation of antigen-presenting cells.
The enhanced immune response resulted in effective cellular and humoral immunity.
Prolonged immune protection was observed following the administration of the vaccine with these adjuvants.
The findings suggest a synergistic effect of IMQ and CpG ODN 1826, which could inform future Japanese encephalitis vaccine development.

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Vaccines represent a significant milestone in the history of human medical science and serve as the primary means for controlling infectious diseases. In recent years, the geographical distribution of Japanese encephalitis viruses (JEV) of various genotypes has become increasingly complex, which provides a rationale for the development of safer and more effective vaccines. The advent of subunit and nucleic acid vaccines, especially propelled by advancements in genetic engineering since the 1980s, has accelerated the application of novel adjuvants. These novel vaccine adjuvants have diversified into toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists, complex adjuvants, nanoparticles and so on. However, the efficacy of adjuvant combinations can vary depending on the host system, disease model, or vaccine formulation, sometimes resulting in competitive or counteractive effects. In our previous study, we constructed a pJME-LC3 chimeric DNA vaccine aimed at inducing an immune response through autophagy induction. Building on this, we investigated the impact of the TLR7/8 agonist imiquimod (IMQ) and the TLR9 agonist CpG ODN 1826 as adjuvants on the immunogenicity of the Japanese encephalitis chimeric DNA vaccine. Our findings indicate that the combination of the pJME-LC3 vaccine with IMQ and CpG ODN 1826 adjuvants enhanced the innate immune response, promoting the maturation and activation of antigen-presenting cells in the early immune response. Furthermore, it played a regulatory and optimizing role in subsequent antigen-specific immune responses, resulting in effective cellular and humoral immunity and providing prolonged immune protection. The synergistic effect of IMQ and CpG ODN 1826 as adjuvants offers a novel approach for the development of Japanese encephalitis nucleic acid vaccines.

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