Enhancement of Mucosal and Cellular Immune Response in Mice by Vaccination with Respiratory Syncytial Virus DNA Encapsulated with Transfersome

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the principal causes of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in young children, and currently there is no safe and effective vaccine. DNA vaccines encoding RSV surface glycoproteins are one option being examined. We evaluated the topical delivery of transfersome encapsulated DNA vaccine for its ability to confer protection against RSV challenge in mice and to determine whether such delivery could induce strong and specific immunity against RSV. After topical vaccination with a transfersome encapsulated RSV-F DNA, both RSV-specific mucosal antibody response and IFN-gamma-producing cells were detected. Intramuscular vaccination of naked RSV-F DNA only induced a significant anti-RSV IgG antibody response but no remarkable sIgA antibody and virus-specific cellular activity. Lungs from mice receiving topical vaccination had fewer histopathologic anomalies after RSV challenge than did mice receiving intramuscular vaccination or controls. Immunization with transfersome encapsulated F gene encoding DNA induces mucosal and cellular immune responses in mice that appear to produce protective immunity against respiratory syncytial virus.