1
|
Téblick L, Lipovac M, Molenberghs F, Delputte P, De Vos WH, Vorsters A. HPV-specific antibodies in female genital tract secretions captured via first-void urine retain their neutralizing capacity. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2024; 20:2330168. [PMID: 38567541 PMCID: PMC10993920 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2024.2330168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines, primarily relying on neutralizing antibodies, have proven highly effective. Recently, HPV-specific antibodies have been detected in the female genital tract secretions captured by first-void urine (FVU), offering a minimally invasive diagnostic approach. In this study, we investigated whether HPV16-specific antibodies present in FVU samples retain their neutralizing capacity by using pseudovirion-based neutralization assays. Paired FVU and serum samples (vaccinated n = 25, unvaccinated n = 25, aged 18-25) were analyzed using two orthogonal pseudovirion-based neutralization assays, one using fluorescence microscopy and the other using luminescence-based spectrophotometry. Results were compared with HPV16-specific IgG concentrations and correlations between neutralizing antibodies in FVU and serum were explored. The study demonstrated the presence of neutralizing antibodies in FVU using both pseudovirion-based neutralization assays, with the luminescence-based assay showing higher sensitivity for FVU samples, while the fluorescence microscopy-based assay exhibited better specificity for serum and overall higher reproducibility. High Spearman correlation values were calculated between HPV16-IgG and HPV16-neutralizing antibodies for both protocols (rs: 0.54-0.94, p < .001). Significant Spearman correlations between FVU and serum concentrations were also established for all assays (rs: 0.44-0.91, p < .01). This study demonstrates the continued neutralizing ability of antibodies captured with FVU, supporting the hypothesis that HPV vaccination may reduce autoinoculation and transmission risk to the sexual partner. Although further protocol optimizations are warranted, these findings provide a foundation for future research and larger cohort studies that could have implications for the optimal design, evaluation, and implementation of HPV vaccination programs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Téblick
- Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination, Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Marijana Lipovac
- Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination, Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Freya Molenberghs
- Laboratory of Cell Biology and Histology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Peter Delputte
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Winnok H. De Vos
- Laboratory of Cell Biology and Histology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Antwerp Centre for Advanced Microscopy, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- µNEURO Centre of Research Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Alex Vorsters
- Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination, Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Lipovac M, Téblick L, Bell M, Van Caesbroeck A, De Smet A, Van Keer S, Delputte P, De Coster I, Tjalma WAA, Vorsters A. Time-resolved fluorescence (TRF) for total IgG and HPV16-specific antibody detection in first-void urine and serum: A comparative study. J Virol Methods 2024:115003. [PMID: 39069158 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2024.115003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2024] [Revised: 06/27/2024] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
Recent studies demonstrated that human papillomavirus (HPV) specific immunoglobulins (IgG) are present and detectable in non-invasively collected first-void urine (FVU) samples. As IgG levels in urine are low, we evaluated the potential of a highly sensitive HPV16-specific assay based on time-resolved fluorescence, DELFIA, and compared it with three immunoassays, GST-L1-MIA, M4ELISA, and M9ELISA. A total of 225 paired serum and FVU samples from two cohorts of healthy female volunteers were analyzed. Strong Spearman rank correlations between HPV16-specific IgG results measured with DELFIA, M4ELISA, GST-L1-MIA, and M9ELISA were found for both sample types (rs > 0.80). Additionally, total human IgG results, determined in all samples using HTRF human IgG kit and BioPlex ProTM Human Isotyping Assay, were compared. Moderate correlations between total human IgG concentrations in FVU samples were found for the two total IgG assays (rs ≥ 0.42, p < 0.0001), while correlations for serum were non-significant. In conclusion, the HPV16-DELFIA assay is usable for detecting HPV16-specific antibodies in FVU and serum samples. As total human IgG remains an interesting parameter for the normalization of HPV-specific IgG in FVU, the accuracy of both assays needs to be validated further.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marijana Lipovac
- Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV), Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium.
| | - Laura Téblick
- Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV), Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Margo Bell
- Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV), Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Anne Van Caesbroeck
- Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV), Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Annemie De Smet
- Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV), Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Severien Van Keer
- Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV), Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Peter Delputte
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), Infla-Med Center of Excellence, Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Ilse De Coster
- Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV), Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Wiebren A A Tjalma
- Multidisciplinary Breast Clinic, Gynecological Oncology Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Antwerp University Hospital (UZA) (Belgium), Molecular Imaging, Pathology, Radiotherapy, and Oncology (MIPRO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Alex Vorsters
- Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV), Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Téblick L, Lipovac M, Bell M, De Smet A, De Meester I, Delputte P, Vorsters A. Stability, enrichment, and quantification of total and HPV16-specific IgG present in first-void urine. Sci Rep 2024; 14:14441. [PMID: 38910149 PMCID: PMC11194269 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-65257-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/25/2024] Open
Abstract
First-void urine (FVU) samples, containing human papillomavirus (HPV)-specific IgG from female genital tract secretions, provide a non-invasive option for disease monitoring and vaccine impact assessment. This study explores the utility of FVU for IgG quantification, exploring stability and compatibility with DNA preservation methods, alongside various IgG enrichment methods. Healthy female volunteers provided FVU and serum samples. FVU was collected with or without urine conservation medium (UCM) and stored under different conditions before freezing at -80 °C. Four IgG enrichment methods were tested on FVU samples. All samples were analyzed using three total human IgG quantification assays and an in-house HPV16-specific IgG assay. Samples stored with UCM buffer had higher total and HPV16-specific IgG concentrations (p ≤ 0.01) and IgG remained stable for at least 14 days at room temperature. Among IgG enrichment methods, Amicon filtration (AM) and AM combined with Melon Gel purification (AM-MG) provided similar HPV16-IgG concentrations, correlating strongly with serum levels. Protein G magnetic beads methods were incompatible with time-resolved fluorescence-based assays. This study highlights FVU as a reliable and convenient sample for IgG quantification, demonstrating stability for at least 14 days at room temperature and compatibility with UCM DNA preservation. It emphasizes the need to select appropriate IgG enrichment methods and confirms the suitability of both AM and AM-MG methods, with a slightly better performance for AM-MG.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Téblick
- Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV), Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium.
| | - Marijana Lipovac
- Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV), Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Margo Bell
- Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV), Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Annemie De Smet
- Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV), Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Ingrid De Meester
- Laboratory of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Peter Delputte
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Alex Vorsters
- Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV), Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Téblick L, Lipovac M, Burdier FR, De Smet A, Bell M, van den Borst E, Matheeussen V, Vorsters A. Concentration strategies for spiked and naturally present biomarkers in non-invasively collected first-void urine. Eur J Med Res 2024; 29:131. [PMID: 38368382 PMCID: PMC10873940 DOI: 10.1186/s40001-024-01719-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND First-void urine (FVU) provides a non-invasive method for collecting a wide range of biomarkers found in genital tract secretions. To optimize biomarker collection in FVU, this study investigated the impact of naturally present and supplemented precipitating agents: uromodulin (UMOD) and polyethylene glycol (PEG), on the concentration of human papillomavirus (HPV) pseudovirions (PsV), cell-free DNA (cfDNA), and cellular genomic DNA (gDNA) through centrifugation. METHODS FVU samples from ten healthy female volunteers, along with a control sample, were spiked with seal herpesvirus 1 (PhHV-1) DNA, HPV16 plasmid DNA, and HPV16 PsV with an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) reporter. The samples were subjected to various concentration protocols involving PEG precipitation, low-speed centrifugation (5 min at 1000×g), and medium-speed centrifugation (1 h at 3000×g). Subsequently, quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to assess cellular and cell-free glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) DNA, cell-free PhHV-1 and HPV16 DNA, and PsV (EGFP) DNA. In addition, UMOD levels were measured. RESULTS The findings revealed that PEG significantly increased the concentration of cfDNA and gDNA in the pellet after centrifugation, with the most pronounced effect observed for cfDNA. Moreover, low-speed centrifugation without PEG effectively depleted cellular gDNA while preserving cfDNA in the supernatants. Pseudovirions were consistently pelleted, even with low-speed centrifugation, and a positive but not significant effect of PEG on PsV (EGFP) DNA yield in the pellet was observed. Additionally, a significant correlation was observed between UMOD and GAPDH, HPV16, and PsV (EGFP) DNA quantities in the pellet. Furthermore, large variations among the FVU samples were observed. CONCLUSIONS With this study, we provide novel insights into how various biomarker precipitation protocols, including both the properties of FVU and the use of PEG as a precipitating agent, influence the concentration of cfDNA, cellular gDNA, and pseudovirions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Téblick
- Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV), Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium.
| | - Marijana Lipovac
- Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV), Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium
| | - F Ricardo Burdier
- Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV), Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Annemie De Smet
- Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV), Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Margo Bell
- Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV), Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Eef van den Borst
- Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV), Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium
- Centre of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp and Antwerp University Hospital, 2650, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Veerle Matheeussen
- Department of Microbiology, Antwerp University Hospital (UZA), 2650, Edegem-Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Medical Microbiology (LMM), Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Alex Vorsters
- Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV), Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
McCarthy MW. Intravenous immunoglobulin as a potential treatment for long COVID. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2023; 23:1211-1217. [PMID: 38100573 DOI: 10.1080/14712598.2023.2296569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION On 31 July 2023, the United States Department of Health and Human Services announced the formation of the Office of Long COVID Research and Practice and the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) opened enrollment for the therapeutic arm of the RECOVER initiative, a prospective, randomized study to evaluate new treatment options for long coronavirus disease 2019 (long COVID). AREAS COVERED One of the first drugs to be studied in this nationwide initiative is intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), which will be a treatment option for subjects enrolled in RECOVER-AUTO, a randomized trial to investigate therapeutic strategies for autonomic dysfunction related to long COVID. EXPERT OPINION IVIG is a mixture of human antibodies (human immunoglobulin) that has been widely used to treat a variety of diseases, including immune thrombocytopenia purpura, Kawasaki disease, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, and certain infections such as influenza, human immunodeficiency virus, and measles. However, the role of IVIG in the treatment of post-COVID-19 conditions is uncertain. This manuscript examines what is known about IVIG in the treatment of long COVID and explores how this therapeutic agent may be used in the future to address this condition.
Collapse
|