Development and in vitro evaluation of a new adjuvant system containing Salmonella Typhi porins and chitosan

In this study, we have combined Salmonella Typhi porins and chitosan to develop a new adjuvant system to enhance the immunogenicity of the highly purified antigens. Cationic gels, microparticle (1.69±0.01μm) and nanoparticles (337.7±1.7 nm) based on chitosan were prepared with high loading efficiency of porins. Cellular uptake was examined by confocal laser scanning microscopy, and the macrophage activation was investigated by measuring the surface marker as well as the cytokine release in vitro in J774A.1 macrophage murine cells. Porins alone were not taken up by the macrophage cells whereas in combination with chitosan a significant uptake was obtained. Porins-chitosan combination systems were found to induce CD80, CD86 and MHC-II expressions at different levels by different formulations depending on the particle size. Similarly, TNF-α and IL-6 levels were found to increase with porins-chitosan combination. Our results demonstrated thatcombination of porins with chitosan as a particulate system exerts enhanced adjuvant effect, suggesting a promising adjuvant system for subunit vaccines with combined immunostimulating activity.Graphical abstract
Source: International Journal of Pharmaceutics - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research