AUTHOR=Costa-Gouvea Tiffany B. L. , Françoso Katia S. , Marques Rodolfo F. , Gimenez Alba Marina , Faria Ana C. M. , Cariste Leonardo M. , Dominguez Mariana R. , Vasconcelos José Ronnie C. , Nakaya Helder I. , Silveira Eduardo L. V. , Soares Irene S. 

TITLE=Poly I:C elicits broader and stronger humoral and cellular responses to a Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite protein malaria vaccine than Alhydrogel in mice

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=15

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1331474

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2024.1331474

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=<p>Malaria remains a global health challenge, necessitating the development of effective vaccines. The RTS,S vaccination prevents <italic>Plasmodium falciparum</italic> (Pf) malaria but is ineffective against <italic>Plasmodium vivax</italic> (Pv) disease. Herein, we evaluated the murine immunogenicity of a recombinant PvCSP incorporating prevalent polymorphisms, adjuvanted with Alhydrogel or Poly I:C. Both formulations induced prolonged IgG responses, with IgG1 dominance by the Alhydrogel group and high titers of all IgG isotypes by the Poly I:C counterpart. Poly I:C-adjuvanted vaccination increased splenic plasma cells, terminally-differentiated memory cells (MBCs), and precursors relative to the Alhydrogel-combined immunization. Splenic B-cells from Poly I:C-vaccinated mice revealed an antibody-secreting cell- and MBC-differentiating gene expression profile. Biological processes such as antibody folding and secretion were highlighted by the Poly I:C-adjuvanted vaccination. These findings underscore the potential of Poly I:C to strengthen immune responses against Pv malaria.</p>