研究実績の概要 |
In an earlier work, we have shown that by mimicking bacterial entry via the GC route, it is possible to elicit a systemic immune response using a single antigen. However, it is unclear whether gel-encapsulated mixed antigens orally-supplemented via the GC route would likewise elicit a comparable systemic immune response. For this study, we investigated the elicitation of antibodies via the GC using mixed antigens. We used 77 wk-old Sprague-Dawley rats throughout this study. We first simulated xanthan gel-encapsulation of two representative antigens through molecular docking in order to confirm exposure of target epitopes. Subsequently, we orally supplemented two sets of rats with two different antigen doses: mixed low-dose (50 microgram per mL per antigen) and separated high-dose (100 microgram per mL per antigen). Throughout this study, we were able to establish the following: (1) total number of xanthan molecules encapsulating an antigen depends on the number of residues in the target antigen; (2) gel-encapsulation enhances antigen structural stability; (3) gel-encapsulated antigens putatively elicit high affinity antibodies; and (4) the more stable a gel-encapsulated antigen is, the more antibody titer amount is elicited. Overall, we propose that gel-encapsulation of mixed low-dose antigens and, subsequently, orally-supplementing these components via the GC route are able to elicit a systemic immune response.
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