Advances in Infectious Disease Vaccine Adjuvants

Abstract

Vaccines are one of the most significant medical interventions in the fight against infectious diseases. Since their discovery by Edward Jenner in 1796, vaccines have reduced the worldwide transmission to eradication levels of infectious diseases, including smallpox, diphtheria, hepatitis, malaria, and influenza. However, the complexity of developing safe and effective vaccines remains a barrier for combating many more infectious diseases. Immune stimulants (or adjuvants) are an indispensable factor in vaccine development, especially for inactivated and subunit-based vaccines due to their decreased immunogenicity compared to whole pathogen vaccines. Adjuvants are widely diverse in structure; however, their overall function in vaccine constructs is the same: to enhance and/or prolong an immunological response. The potential for adverse effects as a result of adjuvant use, though, must be acknowledged and carefully managed. Understanding the specific mechanisms of adjuvant efficacy and safety is a key prerequisite for adjuvant use in vaccination. Therefore, rigorous pre-clinical and clinical research into adjuvant development is essential. Overall, the incorporation of adjuvants allows for greater opportunities in advancing vaccine development and the importance of immune stimulants drives the emergence of novel and more effective adjuvants. This article highlights recent advances in vaccine adjuvant development and provides detailed data from pre-clinical and clinical studies specific to infectious diseases. Future perspectives into vaccine adjuvant development are also highlighted.

Increased hepatic interleukin-1, arachidonic acid, and reactive oxygen species mediate the protective potential of peptides shared by gut cysteine peptidases against Schistosoma mansoni infection in mice

“…Alum was not co-administered with the invading schistosome cercariae and was not expected to potentiate the humoral responses to worm-released molecules. However, increase in serum IgG2a antibodies to FhCL1 in MAP-1+MAP-2+alum-immunized mice could be related to alum co-administration [ 12 , 13 , 26 ]. Mice of this group showed the highest reduction in challenge worm burden and small intestine egg granulomas number and diameter ( Table 2 and Figs 2 and 3 ), likely because of activation of inflammatory immune cells by antibody/released gut cathepsin complexes, a mechanism of worm attrition discussed previously [ 1 , 2 , 9 ] ( Fig 8 ).…”

Design principle and development of vaccine in COVID-19

“…MF59, an oil-in-water emulsion adjuvant of squalene, is as well tolerated, safe, and effective as alum, but it stimulates a greater range of macrophage activation and chemokines than alum, so that neutrophils and monocytes can be recruited for antigen presentation and transport to lymph nodes and B cells and T cells can be further activated [27]. In an experiment in Australia, it was shown that an S glycoprotein sclamp COVID-19 vaccine with MF59 as adjuvant could induce a strong immune response and stimulate S protein-specific T cell response, which had an effective protection against COVID-19 infection [28]. Therefore, MF59 has long been a candidate adjuvant for COVID-19 vaccine.…”

Enhancing the Effect of Nucleic Acid Vaccines in the Treatment of HPV-Related Cancers: An Overview of Delivery Systems

“…Virosomes are nanocarriers that mimic the structure of an enveloped virus whose nucleocapsid has been eliminated [177]. Similarly to liposomes, virosomes are an emerging lipid nanomaterial as an FDA-approved nanocarrier consisting of 60-200 nm unilamellar spherical vesicles [183]. Its preparation techniques are simple, economical, and follow similar major steps [177].…”