Targeting Vaccines to Dendritic Cells: Enhanced Uptake of Polymer Particles Facilitated by a Monomeric CD40 Ligand

摘要

Dendritic cells are ideal targets for in vivo delivery of antigen for vaccines. We are investigating the strategy of using CD40 ligand for this purpose because.this protein has the potential to not only target dendritic cells but also stimulate maturation, leading to more potent immune responses. We have shown that a recombinant monomeric CD40 ligand fusion protein conjugated to polystyrene micro- and nanoparticles led to significantly enhanced uptake by dendritic cells in vitro. This enhancement was observed for particles of both sizes and appeared to be specifically mediated by CD40 ligand binding to CD40 expressed on dendritic cells. This finding suggests that CD40 ligand is a potentially useful targeting moiety for delivery of particulate vaccines to dendritic cells in vivo.