Sublingual Administration of an Adenovirus Serotype 5 (Ad5)-Based Vaccine Confirms Toll-Like Receptor Agonist Activity in the Oral Cavity and Elicits Improved Mucosal and Systemic Cell-Mediated Responses against HIV Antigens despite Preexisting Ad5 Immunity

Abstract

ABSTRACT HIV/AIDS continue to devastate populations worldwide. Recent studies suggest that vaccines that induce beneficial immune responses in the mucosal compartment may improve the efficacy of HIV vaccines. Adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5)-based vectors remain a promising platform for the development of effective vaccines. In an effort to improve the efficacy of Ad5-based vaccines, even in the presence of preexisting Ad5 immunity, we evaluated the potential for an Ad5-based HIV vaccine to induce antigen-specific immune responses following sublingual (s.l.) administration, a route not previously tested in regard to Ad-based vaccines. s.l. vaccination with an Ad5-based HIV-Gag vaccine resulted in a significant induction of Gag-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) responses in both the systemic and the mucosal compartment. We also show that s.l. immunization not only avoided preexisting Ad5 immunity but also elicited a broad repertoire of antigen-specific CTL clones. Additionally, we confirm for the first time that oral delivery of a vaccine expressing a potent Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonist can stimulate innate immune responses through induction of cytokines and chemokines and activation of NK cells, NKT cells, and macrophages in vivo . These results positively correlated with improved antigen-specific CTL responses. These results could be achieved both in Ad5-naïve mice and in mice with preexisting immunity to Ad5. The simplicity of the s.l. vaccination regimen coupled with augmentation of TLR-dependent pathways active in the oral cavity makes s.l. delivery a promising method for HIV vaccine development specifically, as well as for many other vaccine applications in general.