Nanogel-based nasal ghrelin vaccine prevents obesity

Mucosal Immunol. 2017 Sep;10(5):1351-1360. doi: 10.1038/mi.2016.137. Epub 2017 Jan 25.

Abstract

Obesity is associated with multiple comorbidities such as cardiovascular diseases and has a huge economic impact on the health-care system. However, the treatment of obesity remains insufficient in terms of efficacy, tolerability, and safety. Here we created a nasal vaccine against obesity for the first time. To avoid the injectable administration-caused pain and skin-related adverse event, we focused on the intranasal route of antigen delivery. We developed a vaccine antigen (ghrelin-PspA (pneumococcal surface protein A)), which is a recombinant fusion protein incorporating ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates food intake and decreases energy expenditure, and PspA, a candidate of pneumococcal vaccine as a carrier protein. Ghrelin-PspA antigen was mixed with cyclic di-GMP adjuvant to enhance the immunogenicity and incorporated within a nanometer-sized hydrogel for the effective antigen delivery. Intranasal immunization with ghrelin-PspA vaccine elicited serum immunoglobulin G antibodies against ghrelin and attenuated body weight gain in diet-induced obesity mice. This obesity-attenuating effect was caused by a decrease in fat accumulation and an increase in energy expenditure that was partially due to an increase in the expression of mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 in brown adipose tissue. The development of this nasal vaccine provides a new strategy for the prevention and treatment of obesity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Administration, Intranasal
  • Animals
  • Antibody Formation
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics*
  • Body Weight
  • Diet Therapy
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Gels / administration & dosage*
  • Ghrelin / genetics*
  • Ghrelin / immunology
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin G / blood
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Nanoparticles / administration & dosage*
  • Obesity / immunology*
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / administration & dosage*
  • Vaccines / immunology*

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Gels
  • Ghrelin
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • Vaccines
  • pneumococcal surface protein A