Protective immunity to Streptococcus mutans induced by nasal vaccination with surface protein antigen and mutant cholera toxin adjuvant

Abstract

In this study, mice were immunized nasally with surface protein ntigen of Streptococcus mutans serotype c (PAc) and a nontoxic A subunit mutant of cholera toxin (mCT) El12K, as a mucosal adjuvant. Immunization with PAc and mCT elicited significant PAc-specific secretory IgA in saliva and in nasal secretions. Antibody-forming cell (AFC) analysis con firmed the antibody (Ab) titers by revealing significant numbers of PAc-specific IgA AFCs in the submandibular gland and nasal passages. Furthermore, CD4+ T cells from cervical lymph nodes exhibited significant proliferative responses when restimulated with PAc in vitro. Im portantly, mice that were nasally immunized with PAc plus mCT E112K exhibited significantly reduced oral colonization by S. mutans. These results show that nasal administration of PAc and mCT E112K is potentially an effective mucosal vaccine against dental caries and reduces the colonization of S. mutans in the oral cavity.