title: The Role of Size in Development of Mucosal Liposome-Lipopeptide Vaccine Candidates Against Group A Streptococcus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Group A streptococcus (GAS) is an exclusively human pathogenic bacteria. A delay in treatment of GAS infection often lead to severe diseases such as rheumatic heart disease which attributes to hundreds of thousands deaths annually. For the past few decades, the quest for a commercial GAS vaccine has been futile. Currently one of the most investigated strategies to develop vaccine against GAS includes the use of conserved epitopes from major virulent factor of GAS, M-protein.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, cationic liposomes of various sizes (70 nm to 1000 nm) were prepared with dimethyldioctadecylammonium bromide (DDAB) encapsulating lipopeptide bearing M-protein derived B-cell epitope (J14).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Smaller liposomes induced higher antibody titres, though the differences between groups were not statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nonetheless, all mice which were immunized with liposome-lipopeptide delivery system elicited high levels of systemic (IgG) and mucosal antibodies (IgA), which were discernably higher than those induced with the help of commercial adjuvant (cholera toxin B subunit).
authors.forename: Khairunnisa A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Ghaffar
authors.forename: Nirmal
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Marasini
authors.forename: Ashwini K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Giddam
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Batzloff
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Good
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.. Australia.
authors.forename: Mariusz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Skwarczynski
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Queensland, Chemistry Blg #68, StLucia, Qld 4072, Australia.. Australia.
authors.forename: Istvan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Toth
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D018928:Immunity, Mucosal / Q000276:immunology*; D055666:Lipopeptides / Q000276:immunology*; D008081:Liposomes / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D015394:Molecular Structure; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D022541:Streptococcal Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D013297:Streptococcus pyogenes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D055666:Lipopeptides; D008081:Liposomes; D022541:Streptococcal Vaccines
keywords: Peptide-based subunit vaccine; Streptococcus pyogenes; liposomes; mucosal immunity; self-adjuvanting.