Title: Protein-loaded chitosan nanoparticles modulate uptake and antigen presentation of hen egg-white lysozyme by murine peritoneal macrophages

Authors: S. Madrigal-Carballo, M. Esquivel, M. Sibaja, J. Vega-Baudrit

Addresses: Polymers Research Laboratory, Chemistry School, National University, 86-3000 Heredia, Costa Rica. ' Polymers Research Laboratory, Chemistry School, National University, 86-3000 Heredia, Costa Rica. ' Polymers Research Laboratory, Chemistry School, National University, 86-3000 Heredia, Costa Rica. ' National Nanotechnology Center, CeNAT, 1174-1200 San Jose, Costa Rica

Abstract: Chitosan binds to negatively charged tripolyphosphate (TPP) by an electrostatic interaction driven by its positively charged amino group. This interaction allows developing stable nanoparticles suitable as a carrier and controlled release system for drugs and vaccines. We study the effect of chitosan nanoparticles (CNp) on the uptake and antigen presentation of the model protein hen-egg white lysozyme (HEL) to peritoneal macrophages isolated from mice. Results showed that after four hours of pre-incubation with a T-cell hybridoma line cocultured with murine peritoneal macrophages, only trace amounts of IL-2 were detected in treatments with HEL alone, whereas cocultures treated with HEL-CNp had already reached maximum IL-2 expression. Confocal microscopy studies showed that CNp had a higher uptake rate of the fluorescently labelled protein than the protein itself after 30 min of incubation with the peritoneal macrophages. Our results suggest that CNp system is a potential candidate for an oral vaccine delivery system.

Keywords: chitosan nanoparticles; hen egg-white lysozyme; HEL; immunoadjuvants; murine peritoneal macrophages; drug carriers; antigen presentation; nanotechnology; protein; oral vaccines; vaccine delivery.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNP.2010.034851

International Journal of Nanoparticles, 2010 Vol.3 No.2, pp.179 - 191

Received: 05 Jan 2010
Accepted: 13 May 2010
Published online: 25 Aug 2010 *

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