Plant and probiotic-based edible vaccines for Helicobacter pylori: Research status and application prospects

Over half of the global population suffers from Helicobacter pylori infection, linked to gastrointestinal disorders and even gastric cancer. As antibiotic resistance increases, so do treatment failure rates, creating an urgent demand for more effective treatments. Plant-derived or probiotic-expressed antigenic proteins elicit immunity via oral delivery, offering a cost-effective anti-colonization strategy. Current edible plants and Lactococcus lactis expression systems leverage genetic engineering to produce recombinant Helicobacter pylori antigen proteins. Oral administration of these vaccine delivery systems could potentially inhibit Helicobacter pylori colonization, suggesting a novel therapeutic strategy for Helicobacter pylori infection. Compared with traditional vaccines, edible Helicobacter pylori vaccines boast multiple merits, such as high safety, high cost-effectiveness, induction of mucosal immunity, and ease of production and promotion. This current review evaluates recent advancements in edible vaccine against Helicobacter pylori, with particular emphasis on selection of antigen and expression hosts in preclinical study, and barriers to clinical translation.