lipid-a and squalane

A Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein (PfCSP) recombinant fusion protein, R32NS1(81), formulated with monophosphoryl lipid A, cell wall skeleton of mycobacteria, and squalane (Detox) was administered to 12 volunteers. One volunteer had malaise and self-limited painful induration at the injection site after the second dose and declined further immunization. The other 11 volunteers tolerated the three doses of 1,230 micrograms of vaccine, but most complained of sore arms; in five cases the pain or malaise was severe enough to interfere with work or sleep. Two weeks after the third dose of vaccine, four of the 11 immunized volunteers had > or = 14 micrograms/ml of antibodies to the repeat region of the PfCSP in their serum. Two of these four volunteers did not develop P. falciparum parasitemia when challenged by the bite of five mosquitoes carrying P. falciparum sporozoites. The seven volunteers with lower levels of antibodies and 11 of 11 controls developed parasitemia. These data are consistent with other studies, and indicate that vaccine-induced antibodies against the repeat region of PfCSP can prevent effective sporozoite infection of hepatocytes in humans. The challenge is to improve the immunogenicity of PfCSP-based vaccines, and to develop methods for including PfCSP peptides as components of multitarget malaria vaccines.

Topics: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Adult; Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Antibodies, Protozoan; Cell Wall; Double-Blind Method; Humans; Lipid A; Malaria Vaccines; Malaria, Falciparum; Middle Aged; Military Personnel; Molecular Sequence Data; Mycobacterium phlei; Parasitemia; Plasmodium falciparum; Protozoan Proteins; Safety; Squalene; United States; Vaccines, Synthetic

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) utilizing antigen coated on hydrophobic polyvinyldiene fluoride (PVDF) membranes is described for detecting antibodies that bind to squalene (SQE). Because of the prior lack of availability of validated antibodies to SQE, positive controls for the assay were made by immunization with formulations containing SQE to create monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that reacted with SQE. Among eight immunogens tested, only two induced detectable murine antibodies to SQE: liposomes containing dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine, dimyristoyl phosphatidylglycerol, 71% SQE, and lipid A [L(71% SQE+LA)], and, to a much lesser extent, an oil-in-water emulsion containing SQE, Tween 80, Span 85, and lipid A. In each case, lipid A served as an adjuvant, but neither SQE alone, SQE mixed with lipid A, liposomes containing 43% SQE and lipid A, nor several other emulsions containing both SQE and lipid A, induced antibodies that reacted with SQE. Monoclonal antibodies produced after immunizing mice with [L(71% SQE+LA)] served as positive controls for developing the ELISA. Monoclonal antibodies were produced that either recognized SQE alone but did not recognize squalane (SQA, the hydrogenated form of SQE), or that recognized both SQE and SQA. As found previously with other liposomal lipid antigens, liposomes containing lipid A also induced antibodies that reacted with the liposomal phospholipids. However, mAbs were also identified that reacted with SQE on PVDF membranes, but did not recognize either SQA or liposomal phospholipid. The polyclonal antiserum produced by immunizing mice with [L(71% SQE+LA)] therefore contained a mixed population of antibody specificities and, as expected, the ELISA of polyclonal antiserum with PVDF membranes detected antibodies both to SQE and SQA. We conclude that SQE is a weak antigen, but that antibodies that specifically bind to SQE can be readily induced by immunization with [L(71% SQE+LA)] and detected by ELISA with PVDF membranes coated with SQE.

Topics: Animals; Antibodies; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Antibody Formation; Antibody Specificity; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Lipid A; Liposomes; Membranes, Artificial; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Polyvinyls; Squalene