Protection against Helicobacter pylori infection in mice by intragastric vaccination with H. pylori antigens is achieved using a non-toxic mutant of E. coli heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) as adjuvant

Vaccine. 1998 Jan;16(1):33-7. doi: 10.1016/s0264-410x(97)00153-9.

Abstract

We have previously shown that infection of mice with H. pylori can be prevented by oral immunization with H. pylori antigens given together with E. coli heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) as adjuvant. Since LT cannot be used in humans because of its unacceptable toxicity, we investigated whether protection of mice could be achieved by co-administration of antigens with non-toxic LT mutants. Here we show that CD1/SPF mice are protected against infection after oral vaccination with either purified H. pylori antigens (native and recombinant VacA, urease and CagA), or whole-cell vaccine formulations, given together with the non-toxic mutant LTK63 as a mucosal adjuvant. Furthermore we show that such protection is antigen-specific since immunization with recombinant or native VacA plus LTK63 conferred protection against infection by an H. pylori Type I strain, which expresses VacA, but not against challenge with a Type II strain which is not able to express this antigen. These results show that: (1) protection against H. pylori can be achieved in the mouse model of infection using subunit recombinant constructs plus non-toxic mucosal adjuvants; and (2) this mouse model is an useful tool in testing H. pylori vaccine formulations for eventual use in humans.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

  • Adjuvants, Immunologic*
  • Animals
  • Antigens, Bacterial / immunology*
  • Bacterial Toxins*
  • Bacterial Vaccines / immunology
  • Bacterial Vaccines / therapeutic use*
  • Enterotoxins*
  • Escherichia coli Proteins*
  • Helicobacter Infections / prevention & control*
  • Helicobacter pylori / immunology*
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Vaccines, Synthetic / immunology
  • Vaccines, Synthetic / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Adjuvants, Immunologic
  • Antigens, Bacterial
  • Bacterial Toxins
  • Bacterial Vaccines
  • Enterotoxins
  • Escherichia coli Proteins
  • Vaccines, Synthetic
  • heat-labile enterotoxin, E coli