Evidence for Anti-Viral Effects of Complete Freund’s Adjuvant in the Mouse Model of Enterovirus Infection

Authors

Arunakumar Gangaplara, University of Nebraska-Lincoln & National Institutes of Health, BethesdaFollow
Chandirasegaran Massilamany, University of Nebraska- Lincoln & CRISPR Therapeutics, CambridgeFollow
Ninaad Lasrado, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
David J. Steffen, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Jay Reddy, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow

ORCID IDs

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6307-9391

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6762-2654

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5166-2296

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4082-9254

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2020

Citation

Vaccines 2020, 8, 364; doi:10.3390/vaccines8030364

Comments

2020 by the authors

Abstract

Group B coxsackieviruses (CVBs) belonging to the genus, Enterovirus and contain six serotypes that induce various diseases, whose occurrence may involve the mediation of more than one serotype. We recently identified immunogenic epitopes within coxsackieviruses B3 (CVB3) viral protein 1 that induce anti-viral T cell responses in mouse models of CVB infections. In our investigations to determine the protective responses of the viral epitopes, we unexpectedly noted that animals immunized with complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) alone and later challenged with CVB3 were completely protected against myocarditis. Similarly, the pancreatitis-inducing ability of CVB3 was remarkably reduced to only 10% in the CFA group as opposed to 73.3% in the control group that received no CFA. Additionally, no mortalities were noted in the CFA group, whereas 40% of control animals died during the course of 21 days post-infection with CVB3. Taken together, our data suggest that the adjuvant effects of CFA may be sufficient for protection against CVB infections. These observations may provide new insights into our understanding of the occurrence of viral infections.