[EFFECT OF INFLUENZA VACCINES ON SUBPOPULATIONS OF BLOOD DENDRITIC CELLS]

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Vaccinology

Background:

• Dendritic cells (DCs), including myeloid (mDC) and plasmacytoid (pDC) subtypes, are crucial innate immune effectors.
• Understanding vaccine-induced immune responses, particularly involving dendritic cells, is vital for developing effective influenza vaccines.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of different influenza vaccines (Vaxigrip split, Influvac subunit, and Grippol plus immune-adjuvanted) on mDC and pDC levels in healthy women.
• To compare the efficacy of immune-adjuvanted vaccines versus unadjuvanted vaccines in modulating dendritic cell populations.

Main Methods:

• Blood samples from 30 healthy women (aged 18-50) were analyzed at 7 and 30 days post-vaccination.
• Immune phenotyping of pDC and mDC was performed using specific monoclonal antibodies and flow cytometry.

Main Results:

• Unadjuvanted vaccines (Vaxigrip, Influvac) showed a significant increase in mDC and pDC counts only at day 7.
• The immune-adjuvanted Grippol plus vaccine induced a more substantial and sustained (at day 7 and day 30) increase in both mDC and pDC subpopulations compared to unadjuvanted vaccines.

Conclusions:

• Influenza vaccination effectively activates dendritic cells, key components of the innate immune system.
• Immune-adjuvanted vaccines demonstrate a more pronounced and prolonged activation of myeloid and plasmacytoid dendritic cells compared to subunit and split vaccines.