Aluminum (oxy) Hydroxide Nanorods Activate an Early Immune Response in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Vaccine

Bacterial vaccines have been widely used to prevent infectious diseases, especially in veterinary medicine. Although there are many reports on bacterin adjuvants, only a few contain innovations in bacterin adjuvants. Taking this into consideration, in this study we designed and synthesized a new aluminum (oxy) hydroxide (AIOOH) nanorod (Al-NR) with a diameter of 200 +/- 80 nm and a length of 1.1 +/- 0.6 mu m. Using whole-Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 as antigens, we showed that the bacterial antigens of P. aeruginosa PAO1 adsorbed on the Al-NRs induced a quick and stronger antigen-specific antibody response than those of the other control groups, especially in the early stage of immunization. Furthermore, the level of antigen-specific IgG was approximately 4-fold higher than that of the no adjuvant group and 2.5-fold higher than those of other adjuvant groups in the first week after the initial immunization. The potent adjuvant activity of the Al-NRs was attributed to the rapid presentation of antigen adsorbed on them by APCs. Additionally, Al-NRs induced a milder local inflammation than the other adjuvants. In short, we confirmed that Al-NRs, enhancing both humoral and cellular immune responses, are a potentially promising vaccine adjuvant delivery system for inhibiting the whole-Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection.