WTF is this?? Chitosan "nanovaccine"-loaded IL-12 against HBV - Video abstract [ID 317113]

Video abstract of an original research "Chitosan nanovaccines as efficient carrier adjuvant system for IL-12 with enhanced protection against HBV" published in the open access International Journal of Nanomedicine by Huajun Zhao, Haigang Wang, Yifei Hu et al.
Purpose: Alum adjuvant in HBV prophylactic vaccines is poor in inducing cellular immunity with the inhibition of IL-12 secretion, and approximately 5–10% of immunised individuals fail to clear HBV upon infection. IL-12 plasmids (pIL-12) as adjuvants enhance
significant humoral and cellular immune response in vaccines. However, finding a novel delivery system to protect pIL-12 from enzymatic degradation and achieve efficient delivery remains a major challenge. Methods: We prepared the chitosan nanovaccine-loaded IL-12 expression plasmid (termed as “Ng(-)pIL-12”) and analysed the physicochemical properties, encapsulation efficiency and safety. Then, we evaluated the efficiency of Ng(-)pIL-12 for prophylactic HBV vaccine. Serum samples were collected and analysed for IL-12, HBsAg, anti-HBs IgG, IgG1 and IgG2b. Liver tissues were collected and analysed for HBV DNA and RNA. BMDCs and lymphocytes were collected and analysed for HBV-specific immune responses. To further confirm the long-term protective immune response against HBV, these immunised mice were challenged with hydrodynamic injection of pAAV/HBV 1.2 plasmid on day 56 after the initiation of immunisation.
Results: Chitosan nanovaccine prepared with CS and γ-PGA could load pIL-12 effectively and safely, and IL-12 was efficiently produced in vivo. Interestingly, Ng(-)pIL-12 adjuvant combined with HBsAg induced higher levels of anti-HBs IgG, IgG1 and IgG2b, promoted maturation and presentation capacity of DCs, especially CD8α+/CD103+ DCs. Meanwhile, Ng(-)pIL-12 adjuvant generated robust HBV-specific CD8+ T and CD4+ T cell responses. More importantly, Ng(-)pIL-12 adjuvant triggered terminally differentiated effector memory responses with strong anti-HBV effects.
Conclusion: Chitosan nanovaccines as an efficient carrier adjuvant system for pIL-12 combined with HBsAg induced protective anti-HBs IgG and enhanced HBV-specific CD8+ T and CD4+ T cell responses, and achieved long-term memory response against HBV,
making it a promising candidate for prophylactic HBV vaccines.

Read the full paper here https://www.dovepress.com/chit....osan-nanovaccines-as