A vaccine formulated with a combination of TLR-2 and TLR-9 adjuvants and the recombinant major outer membrane protein elicits a robust immune response and significant protection against a Chlamydia muridarum challenge

作者：Cheng Chunmei; Pal Sukumar; Tifrea Delia; Jia Zhenyu; de la Maza Luis M^*

来源：Microbes and Infection, 2014, 16(3): 244-252.

DOI：10.1016/j.micinf.2013.11.009

• Chlamydia muridarum
• Vaccine
• Toll-like receptors
• CpG-1826
• Montanide ISA 720 VG
• Pam(2)CSK(4)

Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common sexually transmitted bacterial pathogen in the World and there is a need for a vaccine. To enhance the immunogenicity of a vaccine formulated with the Chlamydia muridarum (Cm) mouse pneumonitis recombinant major outer membrane protein (MOMP), we used combinations of Pam(2)CSK(4) + CpG-1826 and Montanide ISA 720 VG + CpG-1826 as adjuvants. Neisseria gonorrhoeae recombinant porin B (Ng-PorB) was used as the antigen control with the same adjuvants. Female BALB/c mice were immunized twice in the nares (i.n.) or in the colon (cl.) and were boosted twice by the intramuscular plus subcutaneous (i.m. + s.c.) routes. Based on the IgG2a/IgG1 ratio in sera, mice immunized with MOMP + Pam(2)CSK(4) + CpG-1826 showed a strong Th2 response while animals vaccinated with MOMP + Montanide ISA 720 VG + CpG-1826 had a Th1 response. Both groups of mice also developed robust Cm-specific T cell proliferation and high levels of IFN-gamma. Four weeks after the last immunization, the mice were challenged i.n. with 10(4) inclusion-forming units (IFU) of Cm. Using changes in body weight and number of IFU recovered from the lungs at 10 days post-challenge mice immunized i.n. + i.m./s.c. with MOMP + Pam(2)CSK(4) + CpG-1826 were better protected than other groups. In conclusion, MOMP adjuvanted with Pam(2)CSK(4) + CpG-1826, elicits strong humoral and cellular immune responses and induces significant protection against Chlamydia.

• 出版日期2014-3