Intranasal vaccine administration can overcome the disadvantages of injectable vaccines and present greater efficiency for mass immunization. However, the development of intranasal vaccines is challenged by poor mucosal immunogenicity of antigens and the limited availability of mucosal adjuvants. Here, we examined a number of self-adjuvanting liposomal systems for intranasal delivery of lipopeptide vaccine against group A Streptococcus (GAS). Among them, two liposome formulations bearing lipidated cell-penetrating peptide KALA and a new lipidated chitosan derivative (oleoyl-quaternized chitosan, OTMC) stimulated high systemic antibody titers in outbred mice. The antibodies were fully functional and were able to kill GAS bacteria. Importantly, OTMC was far more effective at stimulating antibody production than the classical immune-stimulating trimethyl chitosan formulation. In a simple physical mixture, OTMC also enhanced the immune responses of the tested vaccine, without the need for a liposome delivery system. The adjuvanting capacity of OTMC was further confirmed by its ability to stimulate cytokine production by dendritic cells. Thus, we discovered a new immune stimulant with promising properties for mucosal vaccine development.
Keywords: adjuvant; cell-penetrating peptide; group A Streptococcus; intranasal vaccine; multilamellar liposome; oleoyl-quaternized chitosan.