Biodistribution of the Cuban anti-meningococcal vaccine, VA-MENGOC-BC, in Balb/c mice

VA-MENGOC-BC is the Cuban vaccine against Neisseria meningitidis BC. Its iodination and biodistribution measurement in Balb/c mice were the main goals of this study. The Chloramine-T method was effective for radiolabelling the proteoliposome, the main vaccine structure. The biodistribution demonstrated that the thyroid (50.4%), muscle (21.5%) and regional lymph nodes (20.5%) were the most radioactive organs and the kinetic of radioactivity was correlated with the primary (muscle, highest values in the first 3 days and lymph nodes, in the first 7 days) and secondary (muscle and lymph nodes, highest values in the first day) response. Early occurrence of slight radioactivity in the spleen was also observed. This was the first time that the iodination and biodistribution of this vaccine was carried out. The present study corroborated that the time selected in previous trials to obtain the lymph nodes and spleen cell, after a first (7 days) and second (3 days) dose, was actually the optimal for in vitro studies.