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Bai D, Kim H, Wang P. Development of semisynthetic saponin immunostimulants. Med Chem Res 2024; 33:1292-1306. [PMID: 39132259 PMCID: PMC11315725 DOI: 10.1007/s00044-024-03227-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/20/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024]
Abstract
Many natural saponins demonstrate immunostimulatory adjuvant activities, but they also have some inherent drawbacks that limit their clinical use. To overcome these limitations, extensive structure-activity-relationship (SAR) studies have been conducted. The SAR studies of QS-21 and related saponins reveal that their respective fatty side chains are crucial for potentiating a strong cellular immune response. Replacing the hydrolytically unstable ester side chain in the C28 oligosaccharide domain with an amide side chain in the same domain or in the C3 branched trisaccharide domain is a viable approach for generating robust semisynthetic saponin immunostimulants. Given the striking resemblance of natural momordica saponins (MS) I and II to the deacylated Quillaja Saponaria (QS) saponins (e.g., QS-17, QS-18, and QS-21), incorporating an amide side chain into the more sustainable MS, instead of deacylated QS saponins, led to the discovery of MS-derived semisynthetic immunostimulatory adjuvants VSA-1 and VSA-2. This review focuses on the authors' previous work on SAR studies of QS and MS saponins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Bai
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL AL35294 USA
| | - Hyunjung Kim
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL AL35294 USA
| | - Pengfei Wang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL AL35294 USA
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2
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Chiba S, Halfmann PJ, Iida S, Hirata Y, Sato Y, Kuroda M, Armbrust T, Spyra S, Suzuki T, Kawaoka Y. Recombinant spike protein vaccines coupled with adjuvants that have different modes of action induce protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2. Vaccine 2023; 41:6025-6035. [PMID: 37635002 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.08.054] [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: 01/06/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
The spike (S) protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a glycoprotein, expressed on the virion surface, that mediates infection of host cells by directly interacting with host receptors. As such, it is a reasonable target to neutralize the infectivity of the virus. Here we found that a recombinant S protein vaccine adjuvanted with Alhydrogel or the QS-21-like adjuvant Quil-A effectively induced anti-S receptor binding domain (RBD) serum IgG and neutralizing antibody titers in the Syrian hamster model, resulting in significantly low SARS-CoV-2 replication in respiratory organs and reduced body weight loss upon virus challenge. Severe lung inflammation upon virus challenge was also strongly suppressed by vaccination. We also found that the S protein vaccine adjuvanted with Alhydrogel, Quil-A, or an AS03-like adjuvant elicited significantly higher neutralizing antibody titers in mice than did unadjuvanted vaccine. Although the neutralizing antibody titers against the variant viruses B.1.351 and B.1.617.2 declined markedly in mice immunized with wild-type S protein, the binding antibody levels against the variant S proteins were equivalent to those against wild-type S. When splenocytes from the immunized mice were re-stimulated with the S protein in vitro, the induced Th1 or Th2 cytokine levels were not significantly different upon re-stimulation with wild-type S or variant S, suggesting that the T-cell responses against the variants were the same as those against the wild-type virus. Upon Omicron XBB-challenge in hamsters, wild-type S-vaccination with Alhydrogel or AS03 reduced lung virus titers on Day 3, and the Quil-A adjuvanted group showed less body weight loss, although serum neutralizing antibody titers against XBB were barely detected in vitro. Collectively, recombinant vaccines coupled with different adjuvants may be promising modalities to combat new variant viruses by inducing various arms of the immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiho Chiba
- Influenza Research Institute, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53711, USA
| | - Peter J Halfmann
- Influenza Research Institute, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53711, USA
| | - Shun Iida
- Department of Pathology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuichiro Hirata
- Department of Pathology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuko Sato
- Department of Pathology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Makoto Kuroda
- Influenza Research Institute, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53711, USA
| | - Tammy Armbrust
- Influenza Research Institute, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53711, USA
| | - Samuel Spyra
- Influenza Research Institute, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53711, USA
| | - Tadaki Suzuki
- Department of Pathology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Kawaoka
- Influenza Research Institute, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53711, USA; Division of Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan; The Research Center for Global Viral Diseases, National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute, Tokyo 162-8655, Japan; Pandemic Preparedness, Infection and Advanced Research Center, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 162-8655, Japan.
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Increased Production of Inflammatory Cytokines after Inoculation with Recombinant Zoster Vaccine in Mice. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10081339. [PMID: 36016227 PMCID: PMC9413309 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10081339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing numbers of patients with zoster were reported recently, and recombinant zoster vaccine (Shingrix®) was licensed using the AS01B adjuvant system. Although it induces highly effective protection, a high incidence of local adverse events (regional pain, erythema, and swelling) has been reported with systemic reactions of fever, fatigue, and headache. To investigate the mechanism of local adverse events, cytokine profiles were investigated in mice injected with 0.1 mL of Shingrix®. Muscle tissue and serum samples were obtained on days 0, 1, 3, 5, and 7, and at 2 and 4 weeks after the first dose. The second dose was given 4 weeks after the first dose and samples were obtained on days 1, 3, 5, 7, and 14. IL-6 and G-CSF were detected in muscle tissues on day 1 of the first injection, decreased on day 3 and afterward, and enhanced production was demonstrated on day 1 of the second dose. In sera, the elevated levels of IL-6 were detected on day 1 of the first dose, and IL-10 was detected on day 1 with increased levels on day 3 of the first dose. IL-4 was detected in muscle tissue on day 1 of the second dose and IL-5 on day 1 of both the first and second doses. IFN-γ production was not enhanced in muscle tissue but increased in serum samples on day 1 of the first dose. These results in the mouse model indicate that the induction of inflammatory cytokines is related to the cause of adverse events in humans.
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Bian L, Zheng Y, Guo X, Li D, Zhou J, Jing L, Chen Y, Lu J, Zhang K, Jiang C, Zhang Y, Kong W. Intramuscular Inoculation of AS02-Adjuvanted Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) F Subunit Vaccine Shows Better Efficiency and Safety Than Subcutaneous Inoculation in BALB/c Mice. Front Immunol 2022; 13:938598. [PMID: 35935960 PMCID: PMC9354885 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.938598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
We previously explored a panel of adjuvants formulated with pre-fusion RSV-F protein and found that AS02 may be a promising candidate adjuvant for developing RSV-F subunit vaccines with improved immunogenicity and desired immune response type. In this study, we performed a head-to-head comparison of the effect of intramuscular injection to that of subcutaneous injection on the immune response and protective efficacy of recombinant RSV-F subunit vaccine with or without adjuvants (Alhydrogel, squalene-based emulsion adjuvants MF59, AS03, and AS02) in BALB/c mice. After inoculations, antigen-specific antibodies, neutralizing antibodies, antibody subtypes, cytokines, and the persistence of immune response were evaluated. Moreover, challenge tests were also performed to illustrate the possible effect of inoculation routes and adjuvant on virus clearance and histochemistry changes in the lungs of mice. The results indicated that intramuscular inoculation is a more effective and antigen dose-sparing route to enhance the immune response, although subcutaneous inoculation induced faster and stronger IgG antibodies after the initial immunization. Furthermore, adjuvant, but not immunization route, is a more critical factor to affect the humoral/cellular immune response and the immune bias. In addition, adjuvant inoculated via the intramuscular route is safer than that via the subcutaneous route, especially for AS02. This study highlights the importance of the adjuvant and immunization routes in the design and clinical transformation of adjuvanted vaccines. Further investigation is needed to illustrate the mechanism underlying the above difference in both efficiency and safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijun Bian
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Yu Zheng
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Xiaohong Guo
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Dongdong Li
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Jingying Zhou
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Linyao Jing
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Yan Chen
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering, The Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- NMPA Key Laboratory of Humanized Animal Models for Evaluation of Vaccines and Cell Therapy Products, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Jingcai Lu
- R&D Center, Changchun BCHT Biotechnology Co., Changchun, China
| | - Ke Zhang
- The Key and Characteristic Laboratory of Modern Pathogen Biology, Department of Parasitology, Basic Medical College, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Chunlai Jiang
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering, The Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- NMPA Key Laboratory of Humanized Animal Models for Evaluation of Vaccines and Cell Therapy Products, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- R&D Center, Changchun BCHT Biotechnology Co., Changchun, China
- *Correspondence: Yong Zhang, ; ; Chunlai Jiang,
| | - Yong Zhang
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering, The Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- NMPA Key Laboratory of Humanized Animal Models for Evaluation of Vaccines and Cell Therapy Products, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- *Correspondence: Yong Zhang, ; ; Chunlai Jiang,
| | - Wei Kong
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering, The Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- NMPA Key Laboratory of Humanized Animal Models for Evaluation of Vaccines and Cell Therapy Products, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- R&D Center, Changchun BCHT Biotechnology Co., Changchun, China
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Luan N, Cao H, Wang Y, Cunbao Liu KL. LNP-CpG ODN-adjuvanted varicella-zoster virus glycoprotein E induced comparable levels of immunity with Shingrix TM in VZV-primed mice. Virol Sin 2022; 37:731-739. [PMID: 35671982 PMCID: PMC9167804 DOI: 10.1016/j.virs.2022.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Latent varicella-zoster virus (VZV) may be reactivated to cause herpes zoster, which affects one in three people during their lifetime. The currently available subunit vaccine ShingrixTM is superior to the attenuated vaccine Zostavax® in terms of both safety and efficacy, but the supply of its key adjuvant component QS21 is limited. With Ionizable lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) that were recently approved by the FDA for COVID-19 mRNA vaccines as carriers, and oligodeoxynucleotides containing CpG motifs (CpG ODNs) approved by the FDA for a subunit hepatitis B vaccine as immunostimulators, we developed a LNP vaccine encapsulating VZV-glycoprotein E (gE) and CpG ODN, and compared its immunogenicity with ShingrixTM in C57BL/6J mice. The results showed that the LNP vaccine induced comparable levels of gE-specific IgG antibodies to ShingrixTM as determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Most importantly, the LNP vaccine induced comparable levels of cell-mediated immunity (CMI) that plays decisive roles in the efficacy of zoster vaccines to ShingrixTM in a VZV-primed mouse model that was adopted for preclinical studies of ShingrixTM. Number of IL-2 and IFN-γ secreting splenocytes and proportion of T helper 1 (Th1) cytokine-expressing CD4+ T cells in LNP-CpG-adjuvanted VZV-gE vaccinated mice were similar to that of ShingrixTM boosted mice. All of the components in this LNP vaccine can be artificially and economically synthesized in large quantities, indicating the potential of LNP-CpG-adjuvanted VZV-gE as a more cost-effective zoster vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Luan
- Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Kunming 650118, China
| | - Han Cao
- Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Kunming 650118, China
| | - Yunfei Wang
- Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Kunming 650118, China
| | - Kangyang Lin Cunbao Liu
- Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Kunming 650118, China.
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He R, Zang J, Zhao Y, Dong H, Li Y. Nanotechnology-Based Approaches to Promote Lymph Node Targeted Delivery of Cancer Vaccines. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2022; 8:406-423. [PMID: 35005881 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.1c01274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Vaccines are a promising immunotherapy that awakens the human immune system to inhibit and eliminate cancer with fewer side effects compared with traditional radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Although cancer vaccines have shown some efficacy, there are still troublesome bottlenecks to expand their benefits in the clinic, including weak immune effects and limited therapeutic outcomes. In the past few years, in addition to neoantigen screening, a main branch of the efforts has been devoted to promoting the lymph nodes (LNs) targeting of cancer vaccines and the cross-presentation of antigens by dendritic cells (DCs), two cardinal stages in effective initiation of the immune response. Especially, nanomaterials have shown hopeful biomedical applications in the improvement of vaccine effectiveness. This Review briefly outlines the possible mechanisms by which nanoparticle properties affect LN targeting and antigen cross-presentation and then gives an overview of state-of-the-art advances in improving these biological outcomes with nanotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiqing He
- Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, The Institute for Biomedical Engineering & Nano Science, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Jie Zang
- Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, The Institute for Biomedical Engineering & Nano Science, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Yuge Zhao
- Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, The Institute for Biomedical Engineering & Nano Science, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Haiqing Dong
- Shanghai East Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Yongyong Li
- Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, The Institute for Biomedical Engineering & Nano Science, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
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