Abstract
Vaccination is regarded as the most effective intervention for controlling the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The objective of this study is to provide comprehensive information on lipid squalene nanoparticle (SQ@NP)-adjuvanted COVID-19 vaccines regarding modulating immune response and enhancing vaccine efficacy. After being adjuvanted with SQ@NP, the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) subunit protein was intramuscularly (i.m.) administered to mice. Serum samples investigated by ELISA and virus neutralizing assay showed that a single-dose SQ@NP-adjuvanted S-protein vaccine can induce antigen-specific IgG and protective antibodies comparable with those induced by two doses of nonadjuvanted protein vaccine. When the mice received a boosting vaccine injection, anamnestic response was observed in the groups of adjuvanted vaccine. Furthermore, the secretion of cytokines in splenocytes, such as interferon (IFN)-γ, interleukin (IL)-5 and IL-10, was significantly enhanced after adjuvantation of S-protein vaccine with SQ@NP; however, this was not the case for the vaccine adjuvanted with conventional aluminum mineral salts. Histological examination of injection sites showed that the SQ@NP-adjuvanted vaccine was considerably well tolerated following i.m. injection in mice. These results pave the way for the performance tuning of optimal vaccine formulations against COVID-19.
Keywords: COVID-19 vaccine; Immunomodulation; Lipid squalene nanoparticles; Single injection; Vaccine adjuvant.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19 vaccine, immunomodulation, Lipid squalene nanoparticles, Single injection, vaccine adjuvant, 【초록키워드】 COVID-19, coronavirus disease, IgG, Efficacy, Vaccine, immune response, pandemic, interferon, cytokine, virus, ELISA, Protein, mice, Neutralizing, IL-10, group, information, Protective antibody, S-protein, Lipid, dose, aluminum, subunit, secretion, effective intervention, splenocytes, injection, serum sample, histological examination, Administered, significantly, investigated, induce, comparable, the vaccine, intramuscularly, modulating, the SARS-CoV-2, vaccine injection, 【제목키워드】 COVID-19, Protein, assessment, SARS-CoV-2 spike, subunit, enhancing the immunogenicity,