Prophylactic and Therapeutic HPV Vaccines: Current Scenario and Perspectives

Abstract

Persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is recognized as the main cause of cervical cancer and other malignant cancers. Although early detection and treatment can be achieved by effective HPV screening methods and surgical procedures, the disease load has not been adequately mitigated yet, especially in the underdeveloped areas. Vaccine, being regarded as a more effective solution, is expected to prevent virus infection and the consequent diseases in the phases of both prevention and treatment. Currently, there are three licensed prophylactic vaccines for L1-VLPs, namely bivalent, quadrivalent and nonavalent vaccine. About 90% of HPV infections have been effectively prevented with the implementation of vaccines worldwide. However, no significant therapeutic effect has been observed on the already existed infections and lesions. Therapeutic vaccine designed for oncoprotein E6/E7 activates cellular immunity rather than focuses on neutralizing antibodies, which is considered as an ideal immune method to eliminate infection. In this review, we elaborate on the classification, mechanism, and clinical effects of HPV vaccines for disease prevention and treatment, in order to make improvements to the current situation of HPV vaccines by provoking new ideas.

Evaluation of the clinical efficacy of vaginal treatment options for persistent high-risk human papillomavirus infection after excisional treatment of cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions: a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis

“…The significance of treatment for individuals currently infected with HPV and SIL cannot be understated. While therapeutic vaccines hold promise, currently, there are no available options as most clinical trials are still in the phase I/II stage, and only a few completed trials have advanced to the next stage [ 28 ]. By performing a network meta-analysis of the impact of vaginal administration on HR-HPV clearance after the excisional treatment, this study evaluated the most promising pharmaceutical treatment options currently available.…”

Deciphering the roles of myeloid derived suppressor cells in viral oncogenesis

“…In contrast, strong IFN-g and IL-5 responses are seen in patients who have cleared HPV16 without developing malignancy. Prophylactic HPV vaccination leads to a strong humeral immune response against L1, which is highly effective in preventing infection and can also reduce the relapse rate following surgical removal of CIN, but is ineffective in treating advanced disease (112,115) There has been significant research interest in the TME in CIN and ICC, in which multiple regulatory cells including TAMs, Tregs as well as MDSCs may play a deleterious role and help explain why some patients do not mount an immune response to the virus (116). The TME in ICC is enriched with cells expressing TGF-b and IL10 with lower expression of IL2 compared to cervicitis and CIN (117).…”

“…In contrast, strong IFN-γ and IL-5 responses are seen in patients who have cleared HPV16 without developing malignancy. Prophylactic HPV vaccination leads to a strong humeral immune response against L1, which is highly effective in preventing infection and can also reduce the relapse rate following surgical removal of CIN, but is ineffective in treating advanced disease ( 112 , 115 )…”

Prevention and Treatment of HPV-Induced Skin Tumors

“…The therapeutic focus here is on E6 and E7 as antigenic targets [ 83 ]. To test different vaccination approaches against betaHPV early proteins, K14-HPV8-CER transgenic mice were used.…”