A novel adjuvant, mixture of Alum and naltrexone, elicits humoral immune responses for excreted/secreted antigens of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites vaccine in Balb/c murine model

• Published in: Türkiye parazitolojii dergisi Vol. 37; no. 2; pp. 92 - 96
• Main Authors: Tappeh, Khosrow Hazrati, Khorshidvand, Zohre, Shahabi, Shahram, Mohammadzadeh, Habib
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Turkey 2013
• Subjects: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Alum Compounds; Animals; Antibodies, Protozoan - blood; Antigens, Protozoan - administration & dosage; Antigens, Protozoan - immunology; Female; Immunity, Humoral; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Immunoglobulin G - immunology; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Models, Animal; Naltrexone - immunology; Protozoan Vaccines - immunology; Toxoplasma - immunology; Vaccination
• ISSN: 1300-6320; 2146-3077
• DOI: 10.5152/tpd.2013.22

The excreted-secreted antigens (ESA) from the tachyzoites seem to play a key role in immunity against Toxoplasma gondii. The aim of this study is to investigate whether Alum-NLT mixture, as a new adjuvant, can induce humoral immunity in response to excreted secreted antigens (ESA) of Toxoplasma gondii as a model vaccine or not.
Six- to eight-week-old female Balb/c mice were divided into five groups. Mice in the experimental groups received either ESA vaccine alone or in combination with the adjuvant Alum, NLT or Alum-NLT mixture; Mice in the negative control group received phosphate buffered saline (PBS). All mice were immunised, three times subcutaneously (s.c.) with a total volume of 150μl each with a 10-day interval. Ten days after the final immunisation, immune response to Toxoplasma gondii was assessed.
Our results revealed that Alum-NLT mixture as an adjuvant during vaccination boosts the efficacy of the ESA vaccine by means of increasing Toxoplasma gondii-specific IgG, IgG2a production and the ratio of IgG2a/IgG1 (P-value < 0.05). The use of this adjuvant mixture improved the protective immunity against Toxoplasma gondii.
Administration of the Alum-NLT mixture as an adjuvant in ESA vaccine enhances humoral immunity.