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Vaccines
Special Issues
Innovating Vaccine Research in Mucosal Vaccines
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Innovating Vaccine Research in Mucosal Vaccines

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "Innate and Adaptive Immunity in Vaccination".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 5126

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ana Rosa Pérez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto de Inmunología Clínica y Experimental de Rosario (IDICER CONICET UNR), Rosario, Argentina
Interests: vaccines; mucosal vaccines; anti-parasitic vaccines; T cell response; preclinical developments
Dr. Iván Marcipar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratorio de Tecnología Inmunológica, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Santa Fe, Argentina
Interests: prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines; development of adjuvants based on lipid boxes; vaccines for parasitosis; diagnostic methods; preclinical developments
Dr. Gabriel Cabrera

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratorio de Tecnología Inmunológica, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Santa Fe, Argentina
Interests: vaccines; regulatory response; preclinical developments
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mucosal surfaces, such as the oral, digestive, nasal, and genital regions, represent the body's first line of defense against a vast number of pathogens. Developing mucosal vaccines offers the potential to elicit innate recognition and generate antigen-specific tissue-resident T-cell as well as B-cell secretory antibody responses, capable of preventing pathogen infections even at distant mucosal sites and systemically. In recent years, significant progress has been made in understanding mucosal immunity mechanisms and the crosstalk between distal mucosal sites, providing valuable information to facilitate the rational development of new mucosal vaccines; however, only a limited number of mucosal vaccines have gained human approval to date. In addition, the importance of mucosal vaccines extends beyond infectious diseases and can also be significant in addressing non-infectious conditions such as allergies, autoimmune disorders, and certain types of cancers by modulating immune responses at mucosal sites. Despite these potential advantages, mucosal vaccines face diverse challenges. Effective mucosal immunization typically requires suitable delivery systems and adjuvants to initiate and enhance collaboration between innate and adaptive immunity. As of now, many mucosal delivery systems are experimental, and few adjuvants are licensed for mucosal use. Identifying safe and efficient mucosal delivery strategies and adjuvants is crucial for innovative mucosal vaccine development.

This Special Issue aims to spotlight and explore the innovative potential of mucosal vaccines. We welcome submissions covering, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • Innovative approaches for mucosal vaccine development.
  • Mechanisms of action.
  • Duration and boosting studies.
  • Delivery strategies.
  • Adjuvant designs.
  • Applications for infectious and non-infectious diseases.
  • Pre-clinical candidate vaccines for neglected diseases or rare diseases.
  • Strategies to counter pathogen evasion.
  • Advancements in the 3Rs (replacement, reduction, and refinement) principles in mucosal vaccinology.

Dr. Ana Rosa Pérez
Dr. Iván Marcipar
Dr. Gabriel Cabrera
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • mucosal vaccines
  • mucosal delivery systems
  • mucosal adjuvants
  • oral vaccines
  • nasal vaccines
  • genital vaccines

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 2176 KiB  
Article
Evaluating the Immunogenicity of an Intranasal Microparticle Combination Vaccine for COVID-19 and Influenza
by Sharon Vijayanand, Smital Patil, Priyal Bagwe, Revanth Singh, Emmanuel Adediran and Martin J. D’Souza
Vaccines 2025, 13(3), 282; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines13030282 - 7 Mar 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 922
Abstract
Background: Infectious respiratory pathogens like SARS-CoV-2 and influenza frequently mutate, leading to the emergence of variants. This necessitates continuous updates to FDA-approved vaccines with booster shots targeting the circulating variants. Vaccine hesitancy and needle injections create inconvenience and contribute to reduced global vaccination [...] Read more.
Background: Infectious respiratory pathogens like SARS-CoV-2 and influenza frequently mutate, leading to the emergence of variants. This necessitates continuous updates to FDA-approved vaccines with booster shots targeting the circulating variants. Vaccine hesitancy and needle injections create inconvenience and contribute to reduced global vaccination rates. To address the burden of frequent painful injections, this manuscript explores the potential of non-invasive intranasal (IN) vaccine administration as an effective alternative to intramuscular (IM) shots. Further, as a proof-of-concept, an inactivated combination vaccine for COVID-19 and influenza was tested to eliminate the need for separate vaccinations. Methods: The methods involved encapsulating antigens and adjuvants in poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) polymer matrices, achieving over 85% entrapment. The vaccine was evaluated in vitro for cytotoxicity and immunogenicity before being administered to 6–8-week-old Swiss Webster mice at weeks 0, 3, and 6. The mice were then assessed for antibody levels and cellular responses. Results: The intranasal microparticle (IN-MP) vaccine induced an innate immune response, autophagy, and were non-cytotoxic in vitro. In vivo, the vaccine led to high levels of virus-specific serum IgM, IgG, and IgA binding antibodies, as well as elevated IgG and IgA levels in the lung wash samples. The antibodies generated demonstrated neutralizing activity against the SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus. Furthermore, the IN-MP vaccine prompted increased antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses in the vaccinated mice. Conclusions: The IN-MP combination vaccine produced immune responses comparable to or higher than the IM route, indicating its potential as an alternative to IM injections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovating Vaccine Research in Mucosal Vaccines)
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21 pages, 5315 KiB  
Article
Comparative Efficacy of Parenteral and Mucosal Recombinant Probiotic Vaccines Against SARS-CoV-2 and S. pneumoniae Infections in Animal Models
by Galina Leontieva, Tatiana Kramskaya, Tatiana Gupalova, Elena Bormotova, Yulia Desheva, Dmitry Korzhevsky, Olga Kirik, Irina Koroleva, Sergey Borisevitch and Alexander Suvorov
Vaccines 2024, 12(10), 1195; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12101195 - 19 Oct 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1466
Abstract
Background: The accumulation of specific IgG antibodies in blood serum is considered a key criterion for the effectiveness of vaccination. For several vaccine-preventable infections, quantitative indicators of the humoral response have been established, which, when reached, provide a high probability of protection against [...] Read more.
Background: The accumulation of specific IgG antibodies in blood serum is considered a key criterion for the effectiveness of vaccination. For several vaccine-preventable infections, quantitative indicators of the humoral response have been established, which, when reached, provide a high probability of protection against infection. The presence of such a formal correlate of vaccine effectiveness is crucial, for example, in organizing preventive measures and validating newly developed vaccines. However, can effective protection against infection occur when the level of serum antibodies is lower than that provided by parenteral vaccination? Will protection be sufficient if the same vaccine antigen is administered via mucosal membranes without achieving high levels of specific IgG circulating in the blood? Methods: In this study, we compared the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of parenteral and mucosal forms of vaccines in experimental animals, targeting infections caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and Streptococcus pneumoniae. We investigated the protective properties of a fragment of the coronavirus S1 protein administered intramuscularly with an adjuvant and orally as part of the probiotic strain Enterococcus faecium L3 in a Syrian hamster model. A comparative assessment of the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a recombinant tandem (PSP) of immunogenic peptides from S. pneumoniae surface proteins, administered either parenterally or orally, was performed in a Balb/c mouse model. Results: Both models demonstrated significant differences in the immunogenicity of parenteral and oral vaccine antigens, but comparable protective efficacy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovating Vaccine Research in Mucosal Vaccines)
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16 pages, 9584 KiB  
Article
Intranasal Trans-Sialidase Vaccine Mitigates Acute and Chronic Pathology in a Preclinical Oral Chagas Disease Model
by Maria Florencia Pacini, Camila Bulfoni Balbi, Brenda Dinatale, Cecilia Farré, Paula Cacik, Florencia Belén Gonzalez, Iván Marcipar and Ana Rosa Pérez
Vaccines 2024, 12(10), 1171; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12101171 - 15 Oct 2024
Viewed by 2096
Abstract
Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, leads to severe complications in 30% of infected individuals, including acute myocarditis and chronic fibrosing cardiomyopathy. Despite the significant burden of this disease, there is currently no licensed vaccine available to prevent it. This study aimed [...] Read more.
Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, leads to severe complications in 30% of infected individuals, including acute myocarditis and chronic fibrosing cardiomyopathy. Despite the significant burden of this disease, there is currently no licensed vaccine available to prevent it. This study aimed to evaluate the mucosal and systemic immunogenicity as well as the prophylactic efficacy of a mucosal vaccine candidate and its impact on both acute and chronic cardiomyopathy. The results showed that the nasal administration of trans-sialidase (TS) plus c-di-AMP (TS+A) vaccine elicited a NALT expression of IFN-γ, IL-17a and IL-4 mRNA as well as a nasal-specific production of IgA. An in vivo challenge with TS also triggered increased proliferation of lymphocytes from the NALT, sentinel cervical lymph node, and spleen. TS+A immunization increased the plasma levels of Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokines and elicited an evident cellular response by which to judge enhanced delayed-type hypersensitivity responses following a TS footpad challenge. After oral infection, TS+A-vaccinated mice showed significantly reduced parasitemia and parasite load in the heart, muscles and intestines, while markers of hepatic and muscle damage as well as clinical manifestations of acute infection were strongly diminished. TS+A also attenuated acute myocarditis and the expression of inflammatory markers in the heart. The protection conferred by TS+A extended into the chronic phase, where it resulted in a clear reduction in chronic myocarditis, fibrosis and functional electrocardiographic abnormalities, associated with a decreased expression of the pro-fibrotic TGF-β. These results revealed that it is possible to develop a mucosal vaccine against T. cruzi based on TS and c-di-AMP that is capable of reducing the development of Chagas cardiomyopathy, the hallmark of Chagas disease. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovating Vaccine Research in Mucosal Vaccines)
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