Ghattas Majed, Dwivedi Garima, Chevrier Anik, Scobey Trevor, El-Mayta Rakan, Mattocks Melissa D, Wang Dong, Lavertu Marc, Alameh Mohamad-Gabriel
Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnique Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada.
Department of Chemical Engineering, Polytechnique Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada.
Vaccines (Basel). 2025 Jul 24;13(8):788. doi: 10.3390/vaccines13080788.
Chitosan, a family of polysaccharides composed of glucosamine and N-acetyl glucosamine, is a promising adjuvant candidate for eliciting potent immune response. This study compared the adjuvant effects of chitosan to those of empty lipid nanoparticles (eLNPs) and aluminum hydroxide (alum) following administration of recombinant SARS-CoV-2 spike immunogen in adult mice. Mice received the adjuvanted recombinant protein vaccine in a prime-boost regimen with four weeks interval. Subsequent analyses included serological assessment of antibody responses, evaluation of T cell activity, immune cell recruitment and cytokine profiles at injection site. Compared to alum, chitosan induced a more balanced Th1/Th2 response, akin to that observed with eLNPs, demonstrating its ability to modulate both the humoral and cellular immune pathways. Chitosan induced a different proinflammatory cytokine (e.g., IL-1⍺, IL-2, IL-6, and IL-7) and chemokine (e.g., Eotaxin, IP-10, MIP-1a) profile compared to eLNPs and alum at the injection site and in the draining lymph nodes. Moreover, chitosan potentiated the recruitment of innate immune cells, with neutrophils accounting for about 40% of the infiltrating cells in the muscle, representing a ~10-fold increase compared to alum and a comparable level to eLNPs. These findings collectively indicate that chitosan has the potential to serve as an effective adjuvant, offering comparable, and potentially superior, properties to those of currently approved adjuvants.
壳聚糖是一类由葡萄糖胺和N-乙酰葡萄糖胺组成的多糖,是一种有望引发强效免疫反应的佐剂候选物。本研究比较了壳聚糖与空脂质纳米颗粒(eLNPs)和氢氧化铝(明矾)在成年小鼠中接种重组SARS-CoV-2刺突免疫原后的佐剂效果。小鼠按初免-加强免疫方案间隔四周接种佐剂重组蛋白疫苗。后续分析包括抗体反应的血清学评估、T细胞活性评估、注射部位的免疫细胞募集和细胞因子谱分析。与明矾相比,壳聚糖诱导了更平衡的Th1/Th2反应,类似于eLNPs所观察到的反应,表明其能够调节体液免疫和细胞免疫途径。与eLNPs和明矾相比,壳聚糖在注射部位和引流淋巴结中诱导了不同的促炎细胞因子(如IL-1α、IL-2、IL-6和IL-7)和趋化因子(如嗜酸性粒细胞趋化因子、IP-10、MIP-1a)谱。此外,壳聚糖增强了先天免疫细胞的募集,中性粒细胞约占肌肉浸润细胞的40%,与明矾相比增加了约10倍,与eLNPs相当。这些发现共同表明,壳聚糖有潜力作为一种有效的佐剂,具有与目前批准的佐剂相当且可能更优越的特性。
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