Sublingual mucosa: A new vaccination route for systemic and mucosal immunity.

Needle-free vaccine delivery has become a global priority, both to eliminate the risk of improper and unsafe needle use and to simplify vaccination procedures. In pursuit of greater ease of vaccination, a number of needle-free delivery routes have been explored, with mucosal routes being perhaps the most prominent. Since the vaccine administration route significantly affects immune responses, numerous researchers are attempting to develop alternative vaccine delivery methods including a mucosal route. My group's recent studies demonstrate the potential of the sublingual (s.l.) route for delivering vaccines capable of inducing mucosal as well as systemic immune responses. Sublingual administration conferred effective protection against a lethal challenge with influenza virus (H1N1) or genital papillomavirus. Moreover, CCR7-CCL19/CCL21-regulated dendritic cells are responsible for activation of T and B cells following s.l. administration. This review highlights current knowledge about the safety and effectiveness of s.l. vaccination and describes how s.l. vaccination can induce both systemic and mucosal immunity.

Kweon MN 《-》

CCR7-CCL19/CCL21-regulated dendritic cells are responsible for effectiveness of sublingual vaccination.

Song JH ，Kim JI ，Kwon HJ ，Shim DH ，Parajuli N ，Cuburu N ，Czerkinsky C ，Kweon MN ... -  《-》

Sublingual immunization induces broad-based systemic and mucosal immune responses in mice.

Cuburu N ，Kweon MN ，Song JH ，Hervouet C ，Luci C ，Sun JB ，Hofman P ，Holmgren J ，Anjuère F ，Czerkinsky C ... -  《VACCINE》

B cell and T cell immunity in the female genital tract: potential of distinct mucosal routes of vaccination and role of tissue-associated dendritic cells and natural killer cells.

The female genital mucosa constitutes the major port of entry of sexually transmitted infections. Most genital microbial pathogens represent an enormous challenge for developing vaccines that can induce genital immunity that will prevent their transmission. It is now established that long-lasting protective immunity at mucosal surfaces has to involve local B-cell and T-cell effectors as well as local memory cells. Mucosal immunization constitutes an attractive way to generate systemic and genital B-cell and T-cell immune responses that can control early infection by sexually transmitted pathogens. Nevertheless, no mucosal vaccines against sexually transmitted infections are approved for human use. The mucosa-associated immune system is highly compartmentalized and the selection of any particular route or combinations of routes of immunization is critical when defining vaccine strategies against genital infections. Furthermore, mucosal surfaces are complex immunocompetent tissues that comprise antigen-presenting cells and also innate immune effectors and non-immune cells that can act as 'natural adjuvants' or negative immune modulators. The functions of these cells have to be taken into account when designing tissue-specific antigen-delivery systems and adjuvants. Here, we will discuss data that compare different mucosal routes of immunization to generate B-cell and T-cell responses in the genital tract, with a special emphasis on the newly described sublingual route of immunization. We will also summarize data on the understanding of the effector and induction mechanisms of genital immunity that may influence the development of vaccine strategies against genital infections.

Anjuère F ，Bekri S ，Bihl F ，Braud VM ，Cuburu N ，Czerkinsky C ，Hervouet C ，Luci C ... -  《-》

Eye mucosa: an efficient vaccine delivery route for inducing protective immunity.

Seo KY ，Han SJ ，Cha HR ，Seo SU ，Song JH ，Chung SH ，Kweon MN ... -  《-》