Immunostimulant Research Articles

Organoleptic and Chemical Properties of SERANGI Herbal Drink: A Blend of Lemongrass (Cymbopogon nardus L.) and Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum L.) as Immune Booster.

Herbal drinks have therapeutic and refreshing properties. Some plethora of botanicals are used as herbal drink ingredients, including simplicia from lemongrass (Cymbopogon nardus L.) and holy basil (Ocinum sanctum L.). This research was performed to assess the organoleptic and chemical characteristics of lemongrass and holy basil simplicia herbal drink named Serangi. The research underwent two phases: organoleptic testing in the first stage and chemical analysis in the second stage to evaluate pH, vitamin C levels, and total phenols in Serangi herbal drink. Three repetitions had been performed to gain data mean values and standard deviation before being analyzed using General Linear ANOVA model (GLM) on the Minitab 20 software. Results revealed panelists' preferences for F3 in terms of color, aroma, and taste, with ratings of 4.12, 4.02, and 4.05, respectively. All Serangi drink samples met the pH requirements, falling within the 3-8 range, where F3 exhibited the highest vitamin C content of 1.224% and total phenol content of 122.10 mg GAE/100g/ml. Serangi herbal drink is rich in vitamin C and secondary metabolites and it offers immune-boosting benefits.

MOF-Derived Oxygen-Deficient Titania-Mediated Photodynamic/Photothermal-Enhanced Immunotherapy for Tumor Treatment.

Immunotherapy has emerged as a revolutionizing therapeutic modality for cancer. However, its efficacy has been largely limited by a weak immune response and an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Herein, we report a metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived titanium oxide nanoparticle (MCTx NP) as an immune booster that can greatly improve the immunotherapy efficacy by inducing "immunogenic cell death" (ICD) and remodeling the tumor microenvironment. The NPs, inheriting the characteristic structure of MIL-125 and enriched with oxygen vacancies (OVs), demonstrate both high photothermal conversion efficiency and a reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation yield upon near-infrared (NIR) activation. Moreover, the NPs can release O2 and reduce glutathione (GSH) in the tumor environment, showcasing their potential to reverse the immunosuppressive microenvironment. In vitro/vivo results demonstrate that MCTx NPs directly kill tumor cells and effectively eliminate primary tumors by exerting dual photodynamic/photothermal therapy under a single NIR irritation. At the same time, MCTx NPs augment the PD-L1 blockade efficacy by potently inducing ICDs and reversing the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, including promoting dendritic cell (DC) maturation, decreasing regulatory T cells (Tregs)' infiltration, and increasing cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and helper T cells (Ths), resulting in effective distant tumor suppression. This work highlights MCTx NP-mediated photodynamic- and photothermal-enhanced immunotherapy as an effective strategy for tumor treatment.

Traditional health care systems and immunity boosting: exploring plant based indigenous knowledge systems amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 outbreak has highlighted the importance of utilizing traditional Ecological knowledge (TEK) to address the health risks linked to the pandemic. Mountain communities have traditionally relied on wild plant species and indigenous crops to enhance their immune system and maintain nutritional security. Recognizing the significance of indigenous knowledge systems this study was undertaken to explore plant-based traditional healthcare systems to revitalize immunity against COVID-19. A comprehensive survey and interviews of 195 local healers (Vaidyas) and residents were carried out using structured and semi-structured questionnaires following the convenience sampling method. The survey identified 40 plant species traditionally used for treating various ailments and augmenting immune functions. This study revealed a strong interest (over 80%) among the local population in plant-based remedies to enhance immunity for COVID-19. This study underscores the necessity of revitalizing and integrating diminishing traditional knowledge into mainstream healthcare practices, emphasizing the significance of region-specific approaches aligned with local resources and requirements. Therefore, there is an urgent need for exploration and recognition of the value of traditional knowledge and indigenous foods, alongside rigorous clinical trials to ascertain their role in fortifying health resilience against COVID-19.

SARS-CoV-2 inflammation durably imprints memory CD4 T cells.

Memory CD4 T cells are critical to human immunity, yet it is unclear whether viral inflammation during memory formation has long-term consequences. Here, we compared transcriptional and epigenetic landscapes of Spike (S)-specific memory CD4 T cells in 24 individuals whose first exposure to S was via SARS-CoV-2 infection or mRNA vaccination. Nearly 2 years after memory formation, S-specific CD4 T cells established by infection remained enriched for transcripts related to cytotoxicity and for interferon-stimulated genes, likely because of a chromatin accessibility landscape altered by inflammation. Moreover, S-specific CD4 T cells primed by infection had reduced proliferative capacity in vitro relative to vaccine-primed cells. Furthermore, the transcriptional state of S-specific memory CD4 T cells was minimally altered by booster immunization and/or breakthrough infection. Thus, infection-associated inflammation durably imprints CD4 T cell memory, which affects the function of these cells and may have consequences for long-term immunity.

S2 Peptide-Conjugated SARS-CoV-2 Virus-like Particles Provide Broad Protection against SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern.

Approved COVID-19 vaccines primarily induce neutralizing antibodies targeting the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein. However, the emergence of variants of concern with RBD mutations poses challenges to vaccine efficacy. This study aimed to design a next-generation vaccine that provides broader protection against diverse coronaviruses, focusing on glycan-free S2 peptides as vaccine candidates to overcome the low immunogenicity of the S2 domain due to the N-linked glycans on the S antigen stalk, which can mask S2 antibody responses. Glycan-free S2 peptides were synthesized and attached to SARS-CoV-2 virus-like particles (VLPs) lacking the S antigen. Humoral and cellular immune responses were analyzed after the second booster immunization in BALB/c mice. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed the reactivity of sera against SARS-CoV-2 variants, and pseudovirus neutralization assay confirmed neutralizing activities. Among the S2 peptide-conjugated VLPs, the S2.3 (N1135-K1157) and S2.5 (A1174-L1193) peptide-VLP conjugates effectively induced S2-specific serum immunoglobulins. These antisera showed high reactivity against SARS-CoV-2 variant S proteins and effectively inhibited pseudoviral infections. S2 peptide-conjugated VLPs activated SARS-CoV-2 VLP-specific T-cells. The SARS-CoV-2 vaccine incorporating conserved S2 peptides and CoV-2 VLPs shows promise as a universal vaccine capable of generating neutralizing antibodies and T-cell responses against SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Immunogenicity of intranasal vaccine based on SARS-CoV-2 spike protein during primary and booster immunizations in mice

ABSTRACT Mucosal immunity plays a crucial role in combating and controlling the spread of highly mutated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Recombinant subunit vaccines have shown safety and efficacy in clinical trials, but further investigation is necessary to evaluate their feasibility as mucosal vaccines. This study developed a SARS-CoV-2 mucosal vaccine using spike (S) proteins from a prototype strain and the omicron variant, along with a cationic chitosan adjuvant, and systematically evaluated its immunogenicity after both primary and booster immunization in mice. Primary immunization through intraperitoneal and intranasal administration of the S protein elicited cross-reactive antibodies against prototype strains, as well as delta and omicron variants, with particularly strong effects observed after mucosal vaccination. In the context of booster immunization following primary immunization with inactivated vaccines, the omicron-based S protein mucosal vaccine resulted in a broader and more robust neutralizing antibody response in both serum and respiratory mucosa compared to the prototype vaccine, enhancing protection against different variants. These findings indicate that mucosal vaccination with the S protein has the potential to trigger a broader and stronger antibody response during primary and booster immunization, making it a promising strategy against respiratory pathogens.

COVID-19 point-of-care tests can identify low-antibody individuals: In-depth immunoanalysis of boosting benefits in a healthy cohort.

The recommended COVID-19 booster vaccine uptake is low. At-home lateral flow assay (LFA) antigen tests are widely accepted for detecting infection during the pandemic. Here, we present the feasibility and potential benefits of using LFA-based antibody tests as a means for individuals to detect inadequate immunity and make informed decisions about COVID-19 booster immunization. In a health care provider cohort, we investigated the changes in the breadth and depth of humoral and T cell immune responses following mRNA vaccination and boosting in LFA-positive and LFA-negative antibody groups. We show that negative LFA antibody tests closely reflect the lack of functional humoral immunity observed in a battery of sophisticated immune assays, while positive results do not necessarily reflect adequate immunity. After booster vaccination, both groups gain depth and breadth of systemic antibodies against evolving SARS-CoV-2 and related viruses. Our findings show that LFA-based antibody tests can alert individuals about inadequate immunity against COVID-19, thereby increasing booster shots and promoting herd immunity.

Drug Repurposing of Selected Antibiotics: An Emerging Approach in Cancer Drug Discovery.

Drug repurposing is a method of investigating new therapeutic applications for previously approved medications. This repurposing approach to "old" medications is now highly efficient, simple to arrange, and cost-effective and poses little risk of failure in treating a variety of disorders, including cancer. Drug repurposing for cancer therapy is currently a key topic of study. It is a way of exploring recent therapeutic applications for already-existing drugs. Theoretically, the repurposing strategy has various advantages over the recognized challenges of creating new molecular entities, including being faster, safer, easier, and less expensive. In the real world, several medications have been repurposed, including aspirin, metformin, and chloroquine. However, doctors and scientists address numerous challenges when repurposing drugs, such as the fact that most drugs are not cost-effective and are resistant to bacteria. So the goal of this review is to gather information regarding repurposing pharmaceuticals to make them more cost-effective and harder for bacteria to resist. Cancer patients are more susceptible to bacterial infections. Due to their weak immune systems, antibiotics help protect them from a variety of infectious diseases. Although antibiotics are not immune boosters, they do benefit the defense system by killing bacteria and slowing the growth of cancer cells. Their use also increases the therapeutic efficacy and helps avoid recurrence. Of late, antibiotics have been repurposed as potent anticancer agents because of the evolutionary relationship between the prokaryotic genome and mitochondrial DNA of eukaryotes. Anticancer antibiotics that prevent cancer cells from growing by interfering with their DNA and blocking growth of promoters, which include anthracyclines, daunorubicin, epirubicin, mitoxantrone, doxorubicin, and idarubicin, are another type of FDA-approved antibiotics used to treat cancer. According to the endosymbiotic hypothesis, prokaryotes and eukaryotes are thought to have an evolutionary relationship. Hence, in this study, we are trying to explore antibiotics that are necessary for treating diseases, including cancer, helping people reduce deaths associated with various infections, and substantially extending people's life expectancy and quality of life.

Efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine (Omicron BA.5) LVRNA012: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial.

We aimed to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of a SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine (Omicron BA.5) LVRNA012 given as the booster in immunized but SARS-CoV-2 infection-free adults in China. This is a single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 clinical trial enrolling healthy adult participants (≥18 years) who had completed two or three doses of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines at least 6 months before, in Bengbu, Anhui province, China. Eligible participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive a booster intramuscular vaccination with an LVRNA012 vaccine (100ug) or placebo. The primary endpoint was the protective efficacy of a booster dose of the LVRNA012 vaccine or placebo against symptomatic COVID-19 of any severity 14 days after vaccination. Laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infections were identified from 14 days to 180 days after intervention, with active surveillance for symptomatic illness 8 times per month between 7 to 90 days and at least once per month between 90 to 180 days after intervention. 2615 participants were recruited and randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the vaccine group (1308) or the placebo group (1307). A total of 141 individuals (46 in the LVRNA012 group and 95 in the placebo group) developed symptomatic COVID-19 infection 14 days after the booster immunization, showing a vaccine efficacy of 51.9% (95% CI, 31.3% to 66.4%). Most infections were detected 90 days after intervention during a period when XBB was prevalent in the community. Adverse reactions were reported by 64% of participants after the LVRNA012 vaccination, but most of them were mild or moderate. The booster vaccination with the LVRNA012 mRNA vaccine could significantly enhance neutralizing antibody titers against the Omicron variant XBB.1.5 (GMT 132.3 [99.8, 175.4]) than did those in the placebo group (GMT 12.5 [8.4, 18.7]) at day 14 for the previously immunized individuals. The LVRNA012 mRNA vaccine is immunogenic, and shows robust efficacy in preventing COVID-19 during the omicron-predominate period. ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT05745545.

A review on the green chemistry perspective of multipurpose use of cow urine

Abstract The use of cow urine (CU) in treating a variety of illness can be traced back to ancient ages. It has been referred as an important and integral component of Cowpathy – an age-old practice in Indian sub-continent since the Vedic period (1500 BC – 600 BC). The CU contains several important compounds that are essential in maintaining a balance between the well-being of human and the nature. It is composed of about 95 % water and other useful ingredients such as urea, hormones, lyase enzyme, and salts containing Fe, Ca, P, Mn, S, N, and K. In addition, it also contains lactose, cytokine, and amino acid which are the fundamental building blocks of protein. Researchers have developed various processes for the green synthesis of CU concentrate and evaluated its usefulness in treating various diseases owing to its antibacterial and antifungal properties. Further, CU has also shown promising immunity boosting and anti-oxidant characteristics. Even though human civilization has benefited from the use of CU in treating various types illness but the modern scientific understanding of the cause-effect relationships was partly developed in the last few decades. There exists a huge knowledge gap and a comprehensive study on exploring the science and application of CU hasn’t been reported. This paper reviews the historical perspective, compositional analysis, processing, applications, knowledge gap, and future research required in the field of therapeutic usage of CU.

Single immunization with an influenza hemagglutinin nanoparticle‐based vaccine elicits durable protective immunity

AbstractVaccination is the most effective strategy to combat influenza. Ideally, potent and persistent vaccine effects would be induced with a single vaccine dose. Here, we designed a virus‐like particle (VLP)‐based vaccine presenting multiple copies of the influenza hemagglutinin (HA) from A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 (PR8HA‐VLP) and examined its immunogenicity and protective efficacy in ferrets. Serum‐neutralizing antibodies were effectively induced against the homologous virus at 3‐week post‐vaccination with a single dose of PR8HA‐VLP with or without adjuvants. When the single‐immunized ferrets were challenged with the homologous virus, virus replication in the nasal mucosa was significantly reduced. Long‐term monitoring of serum titers revealed that after adjuvanted vaccination with PR8HA‐VLP, neutralizing antibodies were retained at similar levels 20‐ to 183‐week post‐vaccination, although a 4‐ to 8‐fold titer decline was observed from 3‐ to 20‐week post‐vaccination. Boost immunization at 183 weeks after the first immunization elicited higher neutralizing antibody titers than those at 3 weeks after the initial immunization in most of the animals. These results confirm that nanoparticle‐based vaccines are a promising approach to effectively elicit durable multiyear neutralizing antibody responses against influenza viruses.

Immunogenicity of an AI-designed personalized neoantigen vaccine, EVX-01, in combination with anti-PD-1 therapy in patients with metastatic melanoma.

9561 Background: Personalized vaccines, targeting mutation-derived neoantigens (neoAg), represent a promising frontier in cancer immunotherapy. Here, we characterize the vaccine-induced immune response in seven melanoma patients treated with the AI-generated personalized cancer vaccine, EVX-01, in the ongoing single arm multicenter trial (NCT05309421). Data from an additional five patients will be available at the time of presentation. Methods: Tumor-specific neoAgs were identified and selected using the proprietary vaccine target discovery AI-Immunology platform based on tumor DNA- and RNA-sequencing data. The top-ranked neoAgs for each patient were manufactured as synthetic long peptides and formulated with an adjuvant, creating the personalized cancer vaccine, EVX-01, tailored to the individual tumor and immune system characteristics. Patients initiated anti-PD1 therapy (Pembrolizumab) 12 weeks prior to EVX-01 administration. Each patient received six priming doses of EVX-01 administered bi-weekly and will be followed by four booster immunizations at later timepoints. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from blood samples collected at different timepoints to evaluate the effect of anti-PD1 therapy, EVX-01 priming immunizations and EVX-01 booster immunizations on T-cell immunogenicity. NeoAg-specific T-cell responses were evaluated by IFN-γ ELISpot assay and intracellular cytokine staining after T cell in vitro expansion with vaccine neoAgs. Results: Immunogenicity analysis of PBMC samples from seven patients demonstrated that EVX-01 induced neoAg-specific immune responses in all patients after the priming phase. The effect of booster immunizations on neoAg-specific T-cell responses was analyzed in the patients who had reached these late visits of the study, and it demonstrated a clear trend towards increased immune responses after the first booster dose. The observed responses were mediated by both CD4+ and CD8+ neoAg-specific T-cells. Investigations of the response induced by the individual vaccine neoAgs revealed that the majority of the EVX-01 neoAgs triggered a specific T-cell response, affirming the ability of the AI-Immunology™ platform to precisely select effective vaccine targets. Data from an additional five patients will be available at the time of presentation. Importantly EVX-01 was safe and well-tolerated, with only grade 1 and 2 ADRs related to EVX-01 even after boosting. The combination of EVX-01 and anti-PD1 also appeared safe and well tolerated. Conclusions: EVX-01 induced neoAg-specific immune responses in all analyzed patients and a broad response against the neoAgs. These results further validate the precision and predictive power of our proprietary vaccine target discovery AI-Immunology platform. The combination of EVX-01 and anti-PD1 was safe and well tolerated. Clinical trial information: NCT05309421 .

Protective efficacy against two different viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) isolates belonging to genotype IVa depending on various dose-boost immunizations of rVHSV-GΔTM in olive flounder

Viral vector-based vaccines are promising candidates that deliver antigens of interest into hosts. Particularly, a single-cycle virus possesses the immunogenicity of a live virus vaccine and safety of an inactivated virus vaccine because they do not produce progeny virion after infection. The rVHSV-GΔTM single-cycle, which removes the transmembrane region and C-terminal cytoplasmic region of the G gene from the KJ2008 isolate, virus demonstrates its superiority as a vaccine in controlling the viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) in olive flounder, although research for establishing its suitability is still lacking. Therefore, we established optimal usage through various concentrations and booster immunizations in olive flounder and confirmed the cross-protective effect against KJ2008 and GCVP-02 belonging to different subclades of the glycoprotein genotype IVa. The olive flounder were intramuscular prime or boost immunized from 1 × 102 pfu/fish to 1 × 104 pfu/fish of rVHSV-GΔTM. After four weeks of immunization, each group was challenged with KJ2008 and GCVP-02 isolates. In the prime immunization group, protective efficacy against the GCVP-02 isolate was relatively low compared with the KJ2008 isolate, but the boost immunization group showed improved protective efficacy in both isolates. Our findings suggest that the rVHSV-GΔTM single-cycle virus vaccine based on the KJ2008 isolate can be effective in controlling VHSV in the fish culture industry because it showed a protective efficacy even against other isolates and high protective efficacy upon boosting.

Enhancing immune and antioxidant responses in Nile tilapia through dietary supplementation with Ulva fasciata extract: A study on gene expression and resistance to Aeromonas hydrophila.

The study focused on the impact of Ulva fasciata extract (UFE) supplementation in the diets of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) on blood and biochemical markers, immune and oxidative responses, and the expression of related genes, with a specific interest in their condition following exposure to Aeromonas hydrophila. Four different levels of UFE were tested in the diets: 0% (0 mg kg- 1) for the control group (U0), and incremental additions of 0.05% (50 mg kg-1), 0.1% (100 mg kg-1), and 0.15% (150 mg kg-1) for the experimental groups U50, U100, and U150 respectively. Groups of 45 fish weighing 3.126 ± 0.120 g were fed these diets over 90 days. The study found that groups treated with UFE showed statistically significant enhancements (p < 0.05) compared to the control group. These improvements included increased red and white blood cell counts, higher haemoglobin concentrations, greater packed cell volume, and elevated enzyme activities-specifically, superoxide dismutase, catalase, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase. Additionally, lysozyme and phagocytic activities were notably higher, especially in the U100 group after exposure. Before exposure to Aeromonas hydrophila, all levels of UFE supplementation led to increased expression of TNF-α and COXII genes and decreased NFκ-B expression. After the challenge, UFE intake resulted in varied expression levels of immune and antioxidant genes (TNF-α, NFκ-B, SOD, and COXII) in the liver, with the most effective responses observed in the U50, U100, and U150 groups. The findings underscore the potential of dietary UFE as a natural antioxidant and immune booster for Nile tilapia.

The impact of functional feed on Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) systemic immune response to high and low levels of sea lice infection (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) and co-infection with infectious salmon anemia virus

Due to the nature of open-pen farming, salmon are exposed to numerous pathogens shared by other farms and their wild counterparts. Industry must manage these outbreaks through vaccination, oral or bath treatments, and more recently through functional feed administration. Globally, the most important pathogens of salmon are sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis, and Caligus rogercresseyi) not only due to their direct impacts on the host, but indirectly by enhancing host susceptibility to co-infection. This study aims to characterize molecular responses during a co-infection of L. salmonis and a salmon orthomyxovirus (infectious salmon anemia virus; ISAv) under administration of four functional feed diets: a control feed with a low 0.3 % EPA/DHA + high-ω6 (Ctrl), an EPA/DHA enriched pro-inflammatory diet 1 % EPA/DHA + high-ω6; FA + I), an EPA/DHA enriched anti-inflammatory diet (1 % EPA/DHA+high-ω3; FA-I), and a low EPA/DHA feed (0.3 %) with an immunostimulant added (0.3 % EPA/DHA + high-ω6 + immunostimulant (IS); Ctrl + IS). Atlantic salmon (40 fish per tank; 8 tanks per feed) were acclimated to one of the four experimental diets. Sea lice copepodids were introduced to all experimental tanks and 10 fish sampled from each tank at each time point (prior to infection [−3], and 11, 33, 47 days post infection). A high virulence ISAv isolate (ISAV-HPR4) was intraperitoneally injected into donor fish 6 days prior to their transfer into the experimental tanks for cohabitation (ca. 10–15 % of tank density; 4 tanks per feed group) to achieve peak shedding rates at time of stocking. Fatty acid enriched (FA + I and FA-I) diets had a significant impact on sea lice abundance on fish infected with lice only. Gene expression profiles measured by reverse transcriptase-qPCR showed significant upregulation in several antiviral genes (irf7b and mxb) associated with the interferon system in all but the fish fed the immunostimulating diet. An increase in transcript levels (irf7b, isg15a, mmp-9, mxb) accounted for high lice and high viral loads in diets FA + I and Ctrl + IS. As feeds successful at reducing lice were the least successful in survival of co-infected fish, there appears to be a trade-off for better anti-parasitic responses, which is enhanced through dietary supplementation. This will require further research to ensure careful selection of feed combinations and expected co-infection challenges.

Investigation of the vaccine potential of an in silico designed FepA peptide vaccine against Shigella flexneri in mice model

BackgroundShigellosis is one of the significant causes of diarrhea in Bangladesh. It is a global health problem; approximately 1.3 million people die yearly from Shigellosis. The current treatment method, using different antibiotics against Shigellosis is ineffective. Moreover, it becomes a worrying situation due to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogenic microbes responsible for these diarrheal diseases. MethodologyPrevious immunoinformatics study predicted a potential peptide from the Ferric enterobactin protein (FepA) of Shigella spp. In this study, we have chemically synthesized the FepA peptide. As a highly immunogenic, FepA peptide conjugated with KLH has been tested in mice model with complete and incomplete adjuvants as a vaccine candidate. ResultsImmunological analysis showed that all vaccinated mice were immunologically boosted, which was statistically significant (P-value 0.0325) compared to control mice. Immunological analysis for bacterial neutralization test result was also statistically significant (P-value 0.0468), where each ELISA plate was coated with 1 × 107S. flexneri cells. The Challenge test with 1 × 1012S. flexneri cells to each vaccinated and controlled mice showed that 37.5 % of control (non-vaccinated) mice died within seven days after the challenge was given while 100 % of vaccinated mice remained strong and stout. The analyses of the post-challenge weight loss of the mice were also significant (P-value 0.0367) as the weight loss percentage in control mice was much higher than in the vaccinated mice. The pathological and phenotypic appearances of vaccinated mice were also clearly differentiable compared with control mice. Thus all these immunological analysis and pathological appearances directly supported our FepA peptide as a potential immune booster. ConclusionThis study provides evidence that the FepA peptide is a highly immunogenic vaccine candidate against S. flexneri. Therefore, these findings inspire future trials for the evaluation of the suitability of this vaccine candidate against Shigellosis.

Significance of Pathya - Apathya in Present Era

Ayurveda is not only a medical science it is a holistic science of life. The aim of Ayurveda is promoting and preserving the health of individual and to cure from diseases. Pathyas are food substance and lifestyle of Ayurveda management line. Those drugs and regimes which are not harmful to channels and please the mind are considered as Pathya, and Sadapathya dravyas are such food which are good for most of the healthy individuals. Wholesome diet or Pathya plays equal role in management of any disease, it is essential to follow dietetic rules and regimes in order to curing diseases so that keep their Dhatu in a healthy state and will not let them get vitiated more from Doshas. The food which is prescribed according to disease by physician plays important role in successful treatment and it’s also prescribed as prophylactic and interventional diet. The concepts of Pathya and Apathya ahara vihara (diet and lifestyle) are still relevant and significant in the modern period as they offer a holistic approach to health, disease prevention, immunity boosting, and personalized care based on Ayurvedic principles.

Comparing the antibody repertoire of XBB1.5 booster immunization with mRNA or protein-based platforms

Abstract The SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein is an essential target for neutralizing antibodies, accumulating mutations, and generating variants of concern (VOC). The Omicron variant is a VOC that continues to evolve into antibody-resistant subvariants, such as XBB1.5. This led to the approval of an updated mRNA vaccine and a protein-based vaccine to target the XBB1.5 strain. However, whether these vaccines can elicit functional monoclonal antibodies specifically against this strain and how the different vaccine platforms (mRNA vs protein) shape the antibody repertoire is unknown. Here, we analyzed the antibody repertoire of five humans who either received the updated mRNA or the protein-based vaccine. We used the Immcantation framework to analyze the VDJ sequences. We assigned V, D, and J genes using IgBlast according to the Change-O pipeline. Clonal groups were defined using the SCOPer package v.1.3.0, and then we calculated somatic hypermutation (SHM) for the BCR sequences. Firstly, we reconstructed germline V and J sequences. The total number of mutations was found for the V gene using SHazaM v.1.2.0, and clonal lineage trees were built using the dowser package v.2.0. We are currently expressing human monoclonal antibodies from the participants and will assess binding, neutralization, and affinity. Our results will compare the antibody activity elicited by vaccination between protein-based (Novavax) and mRNA (Pfizer/Moderna) in humans receiving the XBB1.5 booster.

RETRACTION: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and immunity booster green foods: A mini review.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.1719.].

Development of swine Fc-conjugated serotype O foot-and-mouth disease virus-like particles and immunological evaluation in swine

Abstract The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has been declining as a result of efforts by many advanced countries to eradicate it. However, new vaccine types are being developed because FMD is still a problem in several countries, and vaccinations have safety concerns. In this study, we developed a new FMD vaccine using virus-like particles (VLPs) harboring the immunoglobulin G Fc molecule on their surface. Based on the results of vaccination studies in swine, we confirmed its high efficacy. In particular, we confirmed strong immune boosting by the addition of the swine IgG (sFc) region. The FMDV VLP-sFc vaccine produced higher amounts of Th1 cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-12, and TNF) and Th2 cytokines (IL-4) than the commercial vaccine. More importantly, FMDV VLP-sFc induced significantly higher levels of neutralizing antibodies. Taken together, our newly developed FMDV vaccine, FMDV VLP-sFc, may be a great new and effective FMDV vaccine.