Xie Yafeng, Zhou Yiming, Yang Jing, Xu Man
Institution of Pathogenic Biology, Hengyang Medical College, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China.
Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China.
ACS Omega. 2025 Apr 16;10(16):16853-16862. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.5c00495. eCollection 2025 Apr 29.
Syphilis is a significant multistage sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium . The pathogenesis of this pathogen remains inadequately understood, impeding the progress of syphilis vaccine development. Our prior study has demonstrated the potential of the Tp0663 protein as a viable candidate for a vaccine against . In the present study, we sought to explore the protective response of dual immunization using two different antigenic entities (i.e., flagellin FlaB3 and lipoprotein Tp0663) against in a murine model. Our investigation revealed that FlaB3 + Tp0663 can elicit robust humoral and cellular immune responses. In addition, the FlaB3 + Tp0663 vaccine demonstrated a notable reduction in the Treponemal burden within various anatomical sites of infected mice, including the blood, brain, liver, lymph nodes, spleen, and testicles. It is worth noting that the FlaB3 + Tp0663 vaccine suppressed the dissemination of in C57BL/6 mice. The findings demonstrate that flagellin FlaB3 may augment the immunoprotection of Tp0663. This represents a valuable practical perspective and offers insights into developing a syphilis vaccine.
梅毒是一种由细菌引起的严重的多阶段性传播感染。这种病原体的发病机制仍未得到充分了解,这阻碍了梅毒疫苗开发的进展。我们之前的研究已经证明,Tp0663蛋白作为一种抗梅毒疫苗的可行候选物具有潜力。在本研究中,我们试图在小鼠模型中探索使用两种不同的抗原实体(即鞭毛蛋白FlaB3和脂蛋白Tp0663)进行双重免疫对梅毒的保护性反应。我们的研究表明,FlaB3 + Tp0663可以引发强烈的体液免疫和细胞免疫反应。此外,FlaB3 + Tp0663疫苗在感染小鼠的各个解剖部位(包括血液、大脑、肝脏、淋巴结、脾脏和睾丸)的梅毒螺旋体负荷显著降低。值得注意的是,FlaB3 + Tp0663疫苗抑制了梅毒螺旋体在C57BL/6小鼠中的传播。研究结果表明,梅毒螺旋体鞭毛蛋白FlaB3可能增强Tp0663的免疫保护作用。这代表了一个有价值的实践观点,并为开发梅毒疫苗提供了见解。