Applications of Gold Nanoparticles in Nanomedicine: Recent Advances in Vaccines †

Carabineiro, Sónia Alexandra Correia

A gold nanoparticle antigen delivery approach was used together with a novel polysaccharide nanoparticulate adjuvant, and an effective T-cell vaccine was developed providing protection in animal models of listeriosis (a fatal infection for fetuses and newborns that causes meningitis and cutaneous lesions) [120] . This antigen delivery approach against listeriosis, using gold nanoparticles and bacterial peptides, elicits protective cellular immunity, independent of the adjuvant used, either as a carbohydrate such as Advax [121] or a TLR-4 agonist such as DIO-1 [120] . Gold glyconanoparticles loaded with listeriolysin peptide 91-99 (LLO91-99) or glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 1-22 peptide (GAPDH(1-22)) were successfully administrated to pregnant female mice as a vaccination for this disease [122] . Neonates from vaccinated mothers were free of bacteria and healthy, while non-vaccinated mice showed clear brain affections and cutaneous diminishment of melanocytes.