Efficacy and Immune Response Elicited by Gold Nanoparticle- Based Nanovaccines against Infectious Diseases

Abstract

The use of nanoparticles for developing vaccines has become a routine process for researchers and pharmaceutical companies. Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are chemical inert, have low toxicity, and are easy to modify and functionalize, making them an attractive choice for nanovaccine development. GNPs are modified for diagnostics and detection of many pathogens. The biocompatibility and biodistribution properties of GNPs render them ideal for use in clinical settings. They have excellent immune modulatory and adjuvant properties. They have been used as the antigen carrier for the delivery system to a targeted site. Tagging them with antibodies can direct the drug or antigen-carrying GNPs to specific tissues or cells. The physicochemical properties of the GNP, together with its dynamic immune response based on its size, shape, surface charge, and optical properties, make it a suitable candidate for vaccine development. The clear outcome of modulating dendritic cells, T and B lymphocytes, which trigger cytokine release in the host, indicates GNPs’ efficiency in combating pathogens. The high titer of IgG and IgA antibody subtypes and their enhanced capacity to neutralize pathogens are reported in multiple studies on GNP-based vaccine development. The major focus of this review is to illustrate the role of GNPs in developing nanovaccines against multiple infectious agents, ranging from viruses to bacteria and parasites. Although the use of GNPs has its shortcomings and a low but detectable level of toxicity, their benefits warrant investing more thought and energy into the development of novel vaccine strategies.

Mucosal delivery of nanovaccine strategy against COVID-19 and its variants

“…Despite its wide range of functionalization capacity, the safety of gold nanoparticles remains an obstacle. As gold nanoparticles can accumulate in specific organs such as the liver and spleen in the long term, the distribution of gold nanoparticles and toxicity of accumulated gold nanoparticles in various cell types should be addressed 186 , 187 .…”

Metal-Based Compounds in Antiviral Therapy

“…Low toxicity, chemical inertness, biocompatibility, and biodistribution properties have made metallic nanoparticles, in particular gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), excellent candidates for the development of nanovaccines during last years. A very recent review by Sengupta et al [ 50 ], shows the role of AuNPs for the formulation of nanovaccines against various infectious agents, including viral agents. Teng at al.…”

Stability and biological response of PEGylated gold nanoparticles

“…Au NPs has shown potential in cancer therapy as drug carriers and recently as radiosensitizers in photothermal and photodynamic therapy [ [5] , [6] , [7] ]. Au NPs has also been exploited in antiviral therapy for their adjuvant effect for vaccines or as delivery systems of antiviral drug [ 8 , 9 ]. Some of the recent studies has also demonstrated Au NPs possessing antiviral properties against various viruses [ 7 , 10 ] (e.g.…”