Nasr-Eldin M Aref, Maha Nasr and Rihab Osman
The novelties encountered in the field of formulation have provided promising solutions for the problematic vaccine development of hapten molecules. In the current study, the novel preparation of a cationic nanoliposomal immunogen of the heat stable enterotoxin (STa) was reported. STa was produced from clinically ETEC isolate of diarrheic neonatal calves and purified using RP-HPLC. STa was loaded into the cationic vesicles which were characterized for their particle size, surface charge, morphology, STa loading, and stability. The STa loaded cationic nanoliposome was used for mice immunization and the generation of STa antibody was monitored using ELISA. Results displayed the spherical nature of the STa loaded vesicles, their suitable size and homogeneity represented by a particle size of 228.1 nm and a PDI of 0.202. The surface charge of the STa nanoliposomes was +29.9, demonstrating sufficient stability during refrigeration storage. The STa loaded cationic nanoliposome was able to elicit specific STa antibody response, and to confer effective protection against STa challenge in mice. The STa antibody binding titer and neutralization capacity were 105 and 104 mouse units/ml serum, respectively. The developed system is a one-step procedure, which overcomes the disadvantage of the complexity of generation of the hapten-carrier conjugate. In conclusion, the developed STa-cationic nanoliposomal immunogen is feasible and has the potential to improve effectiveness against ETEC, suggesting its applicability in preventing the harmful effects of ETEC infection in neonatal calves.