Aluminium (Al) compounds are used as adjuvants in human and veterinary prophylactic vaccines due to their improved tolerability compared to other adjuvants. These Al-based adjuvants form microparticles (MPs) of heterogeneous sizes ranging from ~0.5 to 10 µm and generally induce type 2 (Th2)-biased immune responses. However, recent literature indicates that moving from micron dimension particles toward the nanoscale can modify the adjuvanticity of Al towards type 1 (Th1) responses, which can potentially be exploited for the development of vaccines for which Th1 immunity is crucial. Specifically, in the context of cancer treatments, Al nanoparticles (Al-NPs) can induce a more balanced (Th1/Th2), robust, and durable immune response associated with an increased number of cytotoxic T cells compared to Al-MPs, which are more favourable for stimulating an oncolytic response. In this review, we compare the adjuvant properties of Al-NPs to those of Al-MPs in the context of infectious disease vaccines and cancer immunotherapy and provide perspectives for future research.
Keywords: adjuvant; aluminium; cancer; nanotechnology; vaccine.