Background: HSV-2 infection continues to be a significant global health concern, as there are no approved vaccines despite numerous attempts at development.
Methods: This study explored the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of aluminum- or QS21 + CpG-adjuvanted trivalent HSV-2 vaccines and a trivalent HSV-2 mRNA vaccine incorporating the gC2, gD2, and gE2 antigens.
Results: Our results demonstrated that the QS21 + CpG-adjuvanted subunit vaccine and mRNA vaccines successfully induced robust antigen-specific humoral and cellular immune responses and provided significant protection against both HSV-2 and HSV-1 infection. These vaccines showed remarkable efficiency in reducing the viral load and preventing clinical symptoms in mice, highlighting their potential for clinical application. Conversely, the aluminum-adjuvanted vaccine exhibited limited effectiveness, emphasizing the superiority of the QS21 + CpG-adjuvanted and mRNA vaccines.
Conclusions: These findings provide valuable insights for the continued development of effective HSV vaccines and suggest promising strategies for preventing both HSV-2 and HSV-1 infection.
Keywords: cross-protection; herpes simplex virus; mRNA vaccine; subunit vaccine; trivalent antigen.