Immunogenicity and efficacy of recombinant 78 kDa antigen of Leishmania donovani formulated in various adjuvants against murine visceral leishmaniasis

Objective: To analyze the protective efficacy of recombinant 78 kDa antigen of Leishmattia donovani in combination with two adjuvants, that is, cationic liposomes or MPL-A against visceral leishmaniasis in BALB/c mice. Methods: The genomic DNA of promastigotes was isolated and 583 bp of T cell cpitopes of gene encoding 78 kDa was amplified using specific primers. The amplified gene was cloned into pET28c, transformed into lischerichia BL2 I (DE3) and got expressed after IPTG induction. The recombinant protein was then purified using Ni-NTA and named r78. Three groups of mice were immunized with 10 mu g of r78 plus MPL-A. r78 encapsulated in positively charged liposomes and control animals immunized with PBS. Two booster doses were given with the respective vaccine at an interval of 2 weeks each. Mice were challenged with 1x10(7) Leishmania promastigotes and sacrificed on different post infection/challenge days. Results: Immunization with r78 along with MPL-A and liposome-encapsulated r78 brought a significant reduction in parasite load. In comparison to the infected controls, the parasite load declined by 96.2% in mice immunized with r78 plus MPL-A and 97.23% in animals immunized with liposome-encapsulated r78. The immunized animals also exhibited profound DTH response. The serum antibody responses increased from 15 to 90 days post infection/challenge. Immunized animals showed greater IgG2a levels and lesser IgG1 levels in comparison to the infected controls. The splenocytes from inununized mice were cultured, stimulated with r78 and analyzed for cytokine profile. The levels of IL-2 and IFN-gamma were greater in immunized animals as compared to control mice. Conclusions: The study proves that r78 in combination with suitable adjuvants is a potential vaccine candidate and may be instrumental in control of visceral leishmaniasis.