USE OF ORDERED MESOPOROUS SILICA IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ORAL VACCINES

Ordered mesoporous silicas have emerged as promising nanostructured carrier systems for proteins due to its unique and precisely controlled morphological/textural/structural properties. One of the modern approaches for the development of safe and effective oral vaccines is the incorporation of antigens into nanostructured silica. Here, we have been preparing silicas of distinct morphologies, surface chemistry and pore size distribution to incorporate antigenic proteins and virus-like particles. Stages of silica characterization, protein loading, and protein structural integrity/ stability have been evaluated with several biophysical techniques (SRCD/ SAXS/ fluorescence spectroscopies, DLS, NAI) at different environmental conditions as a function of time. The silica provides a protective vehicle for the antigens, offering improved antigen stability, increasing their thermal and pH tolerance, enhancing immune response, and acting as an attractive option in the development of oral vaccines. However, protein incorporation into ordered mesoporous silica and protein-silica interactions might not affect its native protein structure.

This work was supported by grants #2017/17844-8 and #2022/01951-8 from São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)-Brazil.