TLR agonists as vaccine adjuvants in the prevention of viral infections: an overview

Mohammad Enamul Hoque Kayesh; Michinori Kohara; Kyoko Tsukiyama-Kohara

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2023.1249718

TLR agonists as vaccine adjuvants in the prevention of viral infections: an overview

Front Microbiol. 2023 Dec 21:14:1249718. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1249718. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Mohammad Enamul Hoque Kayesh¹, Michinori Kohara², Kyoko Tsukiyama-Kohara³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Microbiology and Public Health, Faculty of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Barishal, Bangladesh.
² Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan.
³ Transboundary Animal Diseases Centre, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan.

Abstract

Tol-like receptor (TLR) agonists, as potent adjuvants, have gained attention in vaccine research for their ability to enhance immune responses. This study focuses on their application in improving vaccine efficacy against key viral infections, including hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus, and flaviviruses, including West Nile virus, dengue virus, and chikungunya virus. Vaccines are crucial in preventing microbial infections, including viruses, and adjuvants play a vital role in modulating immune responses. However, there are still many diseases for which effective vaccines are lacking or have limited immune response, posing significant threats to human health. The use of TLR agonists as adjuvants in viral vaccine formulations holds promise in improving vaccine effectiveness. By tailoring adjuvants to specific pathogens, such as HBV, HCV, HIV, SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus, and flavivirus, protective immunity against chronic and emerging infectious disease can be elicited.

Keywords: HIV; SARS-CoV-2; TLR; hepatitis virus; influenza virus.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by grants from the Tokyo Metropolitan government and Japan agency for medical research and development (22582594).