SARS-CoV-2-specific humoral response was analyzed over time in a group of healthcare workers with or without exposure to SARS-CoV-2, who underwent vaccination with BBIBP-CorV (Sinopharm) vaccine in Argentina. Seroconversion rates in unexposed subjects after the first and second doses were 40% and 100%, respectively, showing a significant increase in antibody concentrations from dose 1 to dose 2 ( p < 0.0001). The highest antibody concentrations were found in younger subjects and women, remaining significantly associated in a multivariable linear regression model ( p = 0.005). A single dose of the BBIBP-CorV vaccine induced a strong antibody response in individuals with prior SARS-CoV-2infection, while a second dose did not increase this response. A sharp increase in antibody concentrations was observed following SARS-CoV-2 infection in those participants who became infected after the first and second doses ( p = 0.008). Individuals with SARS-CoV-2 exposure prior to vaccination showed significantly higher anti-spike IgG antibody levels, at all-time points, than those not exposed ( p < 0.001). Higher antibody titers were induced by a single dose in previously SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals than those induced in naïve subjects by two doses of the vaccine ( p < 0.0001). Three months after the second dose both groups showed a decline in antibody levels, being more abrupt in unexposed subjects. Overall, our results showed a trend towards lower antibody concentrations over time following BBIBP-CorV vaccination. Sex and age seem to influence the magnitude of the humoral response in unexposed subjects while the combination of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 plus vaccination, whatever the sequence of the events was, produced a sharp increase in antibody levels. Evaluation of the humoral responses over time and the analysis of the induction and persistence of memory B and T cell responses, are needed to assess long-term immune protection induced by BBIBP-CorV vaccine.

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Abstract. Despite the classic role of B cells in favoring the immune response, an inhibitory action of B lymphocytes in tumor immunity has emerged in certain studies. In methylcolanthrene-induced murine fibrosarcoma (MCC), the loss of immunogenicity and the establishment of tolerance are paralleled by systemic immune suppression and the appearance of B + IL-10 + cells in tumor-draining lymph nodes. The present study aimed to assess the role of the B + IL-10 + cell population in the immune evasion and tolerance induced by MCC through the depletion of B cells in mice at various times of tumor progression: Prior to or subsequent to tumor implantation. Tumor growth and immunological parameters were evaluated. B cell depletion prior to tumor inoculum enhanced tumor growth, initiating the onset of the tumor-induced systemic immune response; however, an increase in the T regulatory cells (Tregs) at the tumor-draining lymph node could account for tumor exacerbation. B cell depletion once the tumor was established resulted in decreased tumor growth and a delayed onset of tolerance. Additionally, B cell absence exacerbated T cell dependent-tumor rejection, reduced Tregs and increased cytotoxic CD8 + T cells. In vitro analysis showed a direct effect of B cells upon T cell proliferation.In conclusion, B cell depletion exerts opposite effects when performed prior to or subsequent to tumor implantation. In this initially immunogenic tumor, B cell absence would delay the establishment of immunological tolerance probably by unmasking a pre-existing antitumor response. The present findings elucidate the convenience of modulating B cells in the development of future and more effective immunotherapies against cancer. IntroductionThe role of the host immune system in the control of cancer progression has been assessed for several years; at present, it is vastly accepted that antitumor immunity occurs and that numerous tumors have developed mechanisms to escape immune control, leading to malignant progression (1). The mechanisms responsible for antitumor immunity failure in individuals with cancer include a wide diversity of soluble immunosuppressive factors, including transforming growth factor β (TGFβ), interleukin 10 (IL-10), reactive oxygen species (ROS), enzymes and inhibitory ligands such as Fas ligand (FasL) or TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand, released by tumor cells or by other regulatory cells in the tumor microenvironment (2). The majority of immunotherapies against cancer aim to counteract the action of regulatory cells in order to achieve tumor remission or prevent recurrences; of these, T regulatory cells (Tregs) have been the major focus of efforts to therapeutically modulate their inhibitory activity (3,4