Abstract

Research Article

The combination of very-small size proteoliposomes and alum is a safe adjuvant alternative for inducing anti-EGF antibodies: a preclinical study

Mabel Cruz Rodríguez, Gretchen Bergado Báez, Yerandy Hechevarría Luna, Diana Rosa Hernández Fernández, Addys González Palomo, Narjara González Suárez, Carlos Yordan González Castillo, María del Carmen Luzardo Lorenzo, Lisset Chao García and Belinda Sánchez Ramírez*

Published: 19 September, 2022 | Volume 6 - Issue 1 | Pages: 018-030

Immunization with human recombinant EGF chemically bound to the P64k protein of Neisseria meningitides (hrEGF-P64k) and adjuvanted in Montanide ISA 51 VG (Montanide) is an efficient strategy to induce polyclonal antibodies (PAbs) response targeting this self -antigen in cancer patients, which is the basis of the CIMAvax-EGF vaccine. The neutralizing potential of EGF-specific induced PAbs supports promising clinical data obtained to date with this vaccine. Herein, we evaluated a combination of very small-size proteoliposomes (VSSP) and aluminum hydroxide (Alum) as a novel adjuvant to induce specific PAbs with neutralizing and anti-proliferative properties on tumor cells, considering EGF as a model antigen. Toxicity at the injection site was not detected for the vaccine formulation containing VSSP/Alum, and it was immunogenic in BALB/c mice, as evidenced by the induction of high titers of EGF-specific polyclonal antibodies (PAbs). While schedule optimization increased the magnitude of the PAbs response induced by VSSP/Alum, induced PAbs’s avidity and intrinsic neutralizing potential were comparable to the humoral response induced by Montanide. Also, VSSP addition switched IgG subclasses distribution into a Th1-like pattern, as obtained with Montanide and desirable for a cancer vaccine. Finally, equivalent PAbs titers were induced by the vaccine formulations adjuvanted in VSSP/Alum or Montanide in tumor-bearing-mice, and immunosuppressed mice, suggesting the feasibility of the VSSP/Alum combined adjuvant for inducing anti-EGF antibodies in cancer patients at advanced stages of the disease.

Read Full Article HTML DOI: 10.29328/journal.acst.1001029 Cite this Article Read Full Article PDF

Keywords:

VSSP; Alum; Montanide; hrEGF- p64; Cancer vaccine; PAbs response; Toxicity; Neutralizing potential

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  • The combination of very-small size proteoliposomes and alum is a safe adjuvant alternative for inducing anti-EGF antibodies: a preclinical study
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