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Szachniewicz MM, Neustrup MA, van Meijgaarden KE, Jiskoot W, Bouwstra JA, Haks MC, Geluk A, Ottenhoff THM. Intrinsic immunogenicity of liposomes for tuberculosis vaccines: Effect of cationic lipid and cholesterol. Eur J Pharm Sci 2024; 195:106730. [PMID: 38382622 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2024.106730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) is still among the deadliest infectious diseases, hence there is a pressing need for more effective TB vaccines. Cationic liposome subunit vaccines are excellent vaccine candidates offering effective protection with a better safety profile than live vaccines. In this study, we aim to explore intrinsic adjuvant properties of cationic liposomes to maximize immune activation while minimizing aspecific cytotoxicity. To achieve this, we developed a rational strategy to select liposomal formulation compositions and assessed their physicochemical and immunological properties in vitro models using human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MDDCs). A broad selection of commercially available cationic compounds was tested to prepare liposomes containing Ag85B-ESAT6-Rv2034 (AER) fusion protein antigen. 1,2-Dioleoyl-sn‑glycero-3-ethylphosphocholine (EPC)-based liposomes exhibited the most advantageous activation profile in MDDCs as assessed by cell surface activation markers, cellular uptake, antigen-specific T-cell activation, cytokine production, and cellular viability. The addition of cholesterol to 20 mol% improved the performance of the tested formulations compared to those without it; however, when its concentration was doubled there was no further benefit, resulting in reduced cell viability. This study provides new insights into the role of cationic lipids and cholesterol in liposomal subunit vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- M M Szachniewicz
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Postzone C5-P, PO Box 9600, Leiden, RC 2300, the Netherlands.
| | - M A Neustrup
- Division of BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, the Netherlands
| | - K E van Meijgaarden
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Postzone C5-P, PO Box 9600, Leiden, RC 2300, the Netherlands
| | - W Jiskoot
- Division of BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, the Netherlands
| | - J A Bouwstra
- Division of BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, the Netherlands
| | - M C Haks
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Postzone C5-P, PO Box 9600, Leiden, RC 2300, the Netherlands
| | - A Geluk
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Postzone C5-P, PO Box 9600, Leiden, RC 2300, the Netherlands
| | - T H M Ottenhoff
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Postzone C5-P, PO Box 9600, Leiden, RC 2300, the Netherlands
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