Effects of different adjuvants in the context of intramuscular and intranasal routes on humoral and cellular immune responses induced by detergent-split A/H3N2 influenza vaccines in mice

Clin Vaccine Immunol. 2012 Feb;19(2):209-18. doi: 10.1128/CVI.05441-11. Epub 2011 Dec 21.

Abstract

Influenza A/H3N2 viruses have caused the most severe epidemics since 1968 despite current immunization programs with inactivated vaccines. We undertook a side-by-side preclinical evaluation of different adjuvants (Alum, AS03, and Protollin) and routes of administration (intramuscular [i.m.] and intranasal [i.n.]) for assessing their effect on the immunogenicity and cross-reactivity of inactivated split vaccines (A/H3N2/New York/55/2004). Humoral and T cell-mediated immune responses against the homologous virus and a heterologous drifted strain (A/H3N2/Wisconsin/67/2005) were measured in BALB/c mice at 2, 6, and 19 weeks postboost. The AS03- and Alum-adjuvanted i.m. vaccines induced at least an 8-fold increase over the nonadjuvanted vaccine in functional antibody titers against both the homotypic and heterotypic strains and low IgG2a and high IgG1 levels, suggesting a mixed Th1/Th2 response with a Th2 trend. The Protollin-adjuvanted i.n. vaccine induced the lowest IgG1/IgG2a ratio, which is indicative of a mixed Th1/Th2-type profile with a Th1 trend. This adjuvanted vaccine was the only vaccine to stimulate a mucosal IgA response. Whatever the timing after the boost, both hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) and microneutralization (MN) titers were higher with the AS03-adjuvanted i.m. vaccine than with the protollin-adjuvanted i.n. vaccine. Finally, the Alum-adjuvanted i.m. vaccine and the lower-dose Protollin-adjuvanted i.n. vaccine elicited significantly higher CD4(+) Th1 and Th2 responses and more gamma interferon (IFN-γ)-producing CD8(+) T cells than the nonadjuvanted vaccine. Our data indicate that the adjuvanted vaccines tested in this study can elicit stronger, more persistent, and broader immune responses against A/H3N2 strains than nonadjuvanted inactivated influenza vaccines.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adjuvants, Immunologic / administration & dosage
  • Adjuvants, Immunologic / pharmacology*
  • Administration, Intranasal
  • Alum Compounds / administration & dosage
  • Alum Compounds / pharmacology
  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Viral / immunology
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • Cysteine Endopeptidases / administration & dosage
  • Cysteine Endopeptidases / immunology
  • Drug Combinations
  • Drug Evaluation, Preclinical
  • Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests
  • Immunity, Cellular
  • Immunity, Humoral
  • Immunoglobulin A / immunology
  • Immunoglobulin G / immunology
  • Influenza A Virus, H3N2 Subtype / immunology*
  • Influenza Vaccines / administration & dosage
  • Influenza Vaccines / immunology*
  • Injections, Intramuscular
  • Interferon-gamma / immunology
  • Lipopolysaccharides / administration & dosage
  • Lipopolysaccharides / immunology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Orthomyxoviridae Infections / immunology
  • Orthomyxoviridae Infections / prevention & control*
  • Th1 Cells / immunology
  • Th2 Cells / immunology
  • Vaccination / methods

Substances

  • Adjuvants, Immunologic
  • Alum Compounds
  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Drug Combinations
  • Immunoglobulin A
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Influenza Vaccines
  • Lipopolysaccharides
  • Protollin
  • aluminum sulfate
  • Interferon-gamma
  • Cysteine Endopeptidases