Evaluation of monophosphoryl lipid A as an adjuvanted for inactivated chikungunya virus

Currently there is no clinically approved chikungunya virus (CHIKV) vaccine for immunization. Though definite need is felt, long disappearance of CHIKV has been a concern. Inactivated CHIKV (I-CHIKV) is an attractive antigen to develop effective vaccines within a short period of time. However, highly purified inactivated CHIKV do not contain necessary triggers for induction of robust antibody response. Monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA) is a TLR4 ligand which is expressed on immune cells and is known to enhance immune response. Additionally, route of delivery also plays a critical role in modulating the immune response. Thus, antigen, adjuvant and route of delivery might modulate immune response if combined. Therefore in this study, we explored the immunogenicity of inactivated CHIKV-MPLA combination in mice after administration by intradermal or intramuscular route. Long term immune response study was also conducted by varying the antigen concentration and keeping the adjuvant concentration constant. Our study showed that the CHIKV-MPLA combination induced higher binding antibodies as well as neutralizing antibody titers as compared to unadjuvanted CHIKV. No difference in antibody titers was observed after delivery by either of the routes. However, difference in IFNγ and IL4 profiles was observed when a supernatant from stimulated splenocytes was analyzed. Taken together, these data show that both routes could be used for administration of the I-CHIKV-MPLA combination.