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Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) can cause cirrhosis of the liver and hepatocellular carcinoma. Due to the lack of sufficient immune response in whole population, several studies have been conducted to improve the efficacy of alum-based HBV vaccine. Here, naloxone/alum mixture as adjuvant was used for the hepatitis B surface antigen HBsAg vaccine and immune parameters evaluated in immunized mice. Objectives: The present study aimed at investigating the effect of naloxone/alum mixture for the HBsAg vaccine and comparing to Fendrix vaccine. Methods: Female Balb/c mice were vaccinated at day 0, 14, and 28 with alum-based vaccine or naloxone/alum mixture vaccine in different doses. Naloxone/alum vaccine groups received a dose of 3, 6, or 10 mg/kg of naloxone (NLX) in the vaccine formulation. One group received routine HBsAg alum vaccine and another group received Fendrix vaccine. Some groups received naloxone plus HBsAg without alum and a group received HBsAg without adjuvant. Phosphate buffered saline (PBS), naloxone, and alum were also injected into the control groups separately. Finally, the naloxone/alum formulated vaccine was compared with the Fendrix and routine alum-based vaccine with respect to the levels of total anti-HBS antibody, IFN-γ, IL-4, IgG1, IgG2a, and the level of lymphocyte proliferation. Results:The level of total anti-HBS antibody in naloxone formulated vaccine was comparable with Fendrix. Meanwhile, IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio level was significantly higher in naloxone formulated vaccine groups versus mere vaccine group. IgG2a was also higher in the naloxone formulated vaccine groups. Conclusions: Based on the data presented in the present study, it was found that naloxone/alum mixture has the ability to shift the immune response towards Th1 pattern and potentially increase immunity against infections.

<abstract> <p>Prostate cancer is ranked as the fourth most prevalent cancer commonly diagnosed among males over 40 years of age, according to the WHO Cancer Fact Sheet 2020, and it is additionally a leading cause of cancer mortality among males. The incidence of prostate cancer and mortality varied significantly across the globe. Diagnosis of prostate cancer hinders easier management of cases, and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) use for screening of prostate cancer has poor specificity and sensitivity, thereby yielding overdiagnosis and unnecessary biopsies. Radiologically guided (ultrasound/MRI) prostate biopsy, considered the gold standard, is invasive and can miss a significant number of metastatic cancers. Even though mild, other prostate biopsy complications occur on a large scale, and few severe ones are often recorded. Scientists intensify their search for biomarker(s) for non-invasive diagnosis of prostate cancer using proteomics, metabolomics, genomics, and bioinformatics—urinary biomarkers were uniquely on the lookout. Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)/pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP) receptor 1 (VPAC1), which is overexpressed (a thousandfold) in prostate cancer at the onset of oncogenesis and is excreted in the urine on tumor cells, is a contender in the prostate cancer biomarker quest. VPAC1 is ubiquitous, expressed by normal and malignant cells, and interwoven in their cell membranes. Therefore, using urine samples limits the possibility of making the wrong diagnosis, since VPAC1 is not normally excreted in the urine. Nevertheless, studying transmembrane receptors is intricate. However, producing monoclonal antibodies against the N-terminal end of VPAC1 can provide a promising target for designing a non-invasive diagnostic assay for early detection of prostate cancer using a urine sample.</p> </abstract>

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