Silica-Based Mucosal Nanovaccines

Abstract

The use of nanocarriers to enhance the immunogenicity of subunit vaccines is acquiring relevance in the vaccinology field. Silica-based nanomaterials have attractive characteristics for this application since they are biodegradable and biocompatible, can be easily conjugated with antigens and adjuvants, and exert immunostimulatory effects. The latter effects derive from the facts that silica nanoparticles are efficiently taken up by antigen presenting cells and induce inflammatory responses, able to traffic to lymph nodes, and proper delivery vehicles of some adjuvants such as CpG oligonucleotides. Herein, the synthesis and functionalization approaches for silica nanoparticles are presented and current developments on new vaccines based on them are analyzed. The preclinical analysis of silica-based nanovaccines reveals promising findings in vaccination models against infectious diseases (bacterial and viral) affecting humans and animals. Perspectives for the field are identified, which essentially contemplate the need of performing clinical trials, completing toxicity assessment, expanding the application to non-communicable diseases, and starting the development of multiepitope vaccines.