The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic has prompted a significant need for the development of efficient, single-dose adjuvanted vaccines. Here we investigated the adjuvant potential of CpG Oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) when used with human seasonal flu vaccine in ferrets. We found that CpG ODN-adjuvanted vaccine effectively increased antibody production and activated type I interferon (IFN) responses, compared to vaccine alone. Based on these findings, pegylated IFN-alpha2b (PEG-IFN) was also evaluated as an adjuvant in comparison to CpG ODN and Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA). Our results showed that all three adjuvant-added vaccines prevented seasonal human H1N1 Brisbane59 virus replication more effectively than vaccine alone. Gene expression profiles indicated that, as well as up-regulating IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs), CpG ODN enhanced B cell activation and increased TLR4 and IRF4 expression, whereas PEG-IFN augmented adaptive immunity by inducing MHC transcription and Ras signaling. In contrast, using CFA as an adjuvant induced limited ISG expression but increased the transcription of MHC, cell adhesion molecules, and B cell activation markers. Taken together, our results better characterize the specific molecular pathways leading to adjuvant activity in different adjuvants-mediated flu vaccination.
via Molecular Characterization of in vivo Adjuvant Act… [J Virol. 2010] – PubMed result.