Development of a Ferritin-Based Nanoparticle Vaccine against Classical Swine Fever

• Published in: Vaccines (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 8; p. 948
• Main Authors: Song, Yiwan, Yuan, Zhongmao, Ji, Junzhi, Ruan, Yang, Li, Xiaowen, Wang, Lianxiang, Zeng, Weijun, Wu, Keke, Hu, Wenshuo, Lin, Yi, Ding, Hongxing, Zhao, Mingqiu, Fan, Shuangqi, Li, Zhaoyao, Chen, Jinding
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 22.08.2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Antibodies; Antigens; B-cell antigenic epitope; Baculovirus; classical swine fever virus; E2 protein; Effectiveness; Epitopes; Ferritin; ferritin nanoparticles; Fever; Glycoproteins; Hog cholera; Hogs; immune responses; Immune system; Immunization; Immunogenicity; Immunology; In vivo methods and tests; Industrial development; Iron; Nanoparticles; Plasmids; Protein expression; Proteins; Rabbits; Robust control; Self-assembly; Swine; Vaccines; Viremia; Viruses; γ-Interferon; Beijing China; United States > US; China
• ISSN: 2076-393X; 2076-393X
• DOI: 10.3390/vaccines12080948

The occurrence of classical swine fever (CSF) poses a significant threat to the global swine industry. Developing an effective and safe vaccine is crucial for preventing and controlling CSF. Here, we constructed self-assembled ferritin nanoparticles fused with the classical swine fever virus (CSFV) E2 protein and a derived B cell epitope (Fe-E2B) using a baculovirus expression system (BVES), demonstrating enhanced immunogenicity. Furthermore, we provide a detailed evaluation of the immunological efficacy of the FeE2B in rabbits. The results showed that robust and sustained antibody responses were detected in rabbits immunized with the Fe-E2B nanoparticle vaccine, comparable to those elicited by commercially available vaccines. Additionally, we demonstrated that the vaccine effectively activated crucial immune factors IFN-γ and IL-4 in vivo, increasing their levels by 1.41-fold and 1.39-fold, respectively. Immunization with Fe-E2B enabled rabbits to avoid viremia and stereotypic fever after CSFV challenge. In conclusion, this study highlights the potential of ferritin nanoparticles as antigen-presenting carriers to induce robust immune responses, proposing a candidate vaccine strategy for the prevention and control of CSF.