Enhanced potency of individual and bivalent DNA replicon vaccines or conventional DNA vaccines by formulation with aluminum phosphate.
DNA vaccines against botulinum neurotoxin (BoNTs) induce protective humoral immune responses in mouse model, but when compared with conventional vaccines such as toxoid and protein vaccines, DNA vaccines often induce lower antibody level and protective efficacy and are still necessary to increase their potency. In this study we evaluated the potency of aluminum phosphate as an adjuvant of DNA vaccines to enhance antibody responses and protective efficacy against botulinum neurotoxin serotypes A and B in Balb/c mice. The administration of these individual and bivalent plasmid DNA replicon vaccines against botulinum neurotoxin serotypes A and B in the presence of aluminum phosphate improved both antibody responses and protective efficacy. Furthermore, formulation of conventional plasmid DNA vaccines encoding the same Hc domains of botulinum neurotoxin serotypes A and B with aluminum phosphate adjuvant increased both antibody responses and protective efficacy. These results indicate aluminum phosphate is an effective adjuvant for these two types of DNA vaccines (i.e., plasmid DNA replicon vaccines and conventional plasmid DNA vaccines), and the vaccine formulation described here may be an excellent candidate for further vaccine development against botulinum neurotoxins.
Yu
Yun-Zhou
YZ
Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Protein Engineering of Lab, 20 Dong Dajie Street, Fengtai District, Beijing 100071, China. yunzhouyu@163.com
Wang
Wen-Bin
WB
Li
Na
N
Wang
Shuang
S
Yu
Wei-Yuan
WY
Sun
Zhi-Wei
ZW
D000327:Adsorption; D017607:Aluminum Compounds; D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; D004261:DNA Replication; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D051379:Mice; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D010710:Phosphates; D010957:Plasmids; D012093:Replicon; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*
D017607:Aluminum Compounds; D000906:Antibodies; D010710:Phosphates; D019444:Vaccines, DNA; C012714:aluminum phosphate