A comprehensive strategy for the development of a multi-epitope vaccine targeting Treponema pallidum, utilizing heat shock proteins, encompassing the entire process from vaccine design to in vitro evaluation of immunogenicity

Jing Jiang ¹ Linglan Xu ² Xuefeng Wang ³ Ming Wang ¹ Youde Cao ⁴ Li Ranhui ² Kang Zheng ^5* Xian Wu ^1*

• ¹ Hunan Province Directly Affliated TCM Hospital, Zhuzhou, China
• ² Institute of Pathogenic Biology, Hunan Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control, University of South China, Hengyan, China
• ³ Hunan Traditional Chinese Medical College, Zhuzhou, China
• ⁴ Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
• ⁵ Hengyang Central Hospital, Hengyang, Hunan Province, China

Treponema pallidum (T. pallidum), the causative spirochete of syphilis, is primarily transmitted through sexual contact and has emerged as a significant global health concern. To address this issue, enhancing diagnostic capabilities, strengthening public health interventions, and developing a safe and effective vaccine are critical strategies. This study employed an immunoinformatics approach to design a vaccine with high immunogenic potential, targeting the heat shock proteins of T. pallidum. The multi-epitope subunit vaccine was designed to include seven cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitopes, five helper T lymphocyte epitopes, and four B cell epitopes. Additionally, molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulations were utilized to assess the affinity, congruence, and stability of the vaccine-adjuvant complexes. Immune simulations indicated the potential effectiveness of the vaccine. Consequently, the vaccine developed in this study theoretically represents a safe and potent multi-epitope prophylactic strategy against T. pallidum, subject to further experimental validation to ascertain its actual protective efficacy.