krn-7000 and Poisoning

Alpha-galactosylceramide (αGalCer) is a glycolipid derived from a marine sponge that is a potent activator of both mouse and human invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells. For that reason, αGalCer is a promising vaccine adjuvant that has been shown to improve both humoral and cellular immunity when co-administered with various vaccines, including candidate vaccines for biodefense. In the current study, we tested the effectiveness of αGalCer as an adjuvant for the clinically-relevant ricin toxin subunit vaccine, RiVax. αGalCer had a potent adjuvant effect, as shown by a rapid onset of anti-ricin IgG titers, accelerated development of serum toxin-neutralizing activity, and enhanced protection from lethal ricin challenge in a mouse model. These results underscore the potential of αGalCer to augment the protective immune response to a vaccine designed to counteract ricin toxin, a fast-acting biothreat agent.

Topics: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Animals; Antibodies, Neutralizing; Disease Models, Animal; Galactosylceramides; Humans; Immunogenicity, Vaccine; Immunoglobulin G; Mice; Poisoning; Ricin; Treatment Outcome; Vaccines