Plant-based vaccines for human application: a review.

E. GÓMEZ, S. CHIMENO ZOTH, A. BERINSTEIN.

Human Vaccines

Landes Bioscience

Año: 2009 vol. 5 p. 1 - 7

1554-8600

<!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:70.85pt 3.0cm 70.85pt 3.0cm; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> The worldwide need to produce safe and affordable vaccines, with a minimum requirement of manufacture and processing, together with the advancements achieved in biotechnology, have promoted the development of efficient alternatives to traditional ones. One of the available options is the use of transgenic plants, not only as a protein production system but as an antigen transportation system as well, being capable of delivering antigens to the mucosal immune targets, becoming what is known as edible vaccines. The versatility of the plant production system allows for instance, expressing and accumulating foreign antigens in edible plant tissues. Thus, once a plant-based vaccine is eaten, the susceptible host mounts a mucosal immune response against the antigen that is expressed in the plant, becoming protected against the pathogen from which the antigen was selected. Here, we described the basis of the system, the promising future and the possible drawbacks