Atherosclerosis is a pathology leading to cardiovascular diseases with high epidemiologic impact; thus, new therapies are required to fight this global health issue. Immunotherapy is a feasible approach to treat atherosclerosis and given that genetically engineered plants are attractive hosts for vaccine development; we previously proved that the plant cell is able to synthesize a chimeric protein called CTB:p210:CETPe, which is composed of the cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) as immunogenic carrier and target epitopes from the cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP461-476) and apolipoprotein B100 (p210). Since CTB:p210:CETPe was expressed in tobacco at sufficient levels to evoke humoral responses in mice, its expression in carrot was explored in the present study looking to develop a vaccine in a safe host amenable for oral delivery; avoiding the purification requirement. Carrot cell lines expressing CTB:p210:CETPe were developed, showing accumulation levels up to 6.1 µg/g dry weight. An immunoblot analysis revealed that the carrot-made protein is antigenic and an oral mice immunization scheme led to evidence on the immunogenic activity of this protein; revealing its capability of inducing serum IgG responses against p210 and CETP epitopes. This study represents a step forward in the development of an attractive oral low-cost vaccine to treat atherosclerosis.
Keywords: Atherosclerosis; CETP; Carrot callus culture; Immunotherapy; Plant-based oral vaccine; p210.