Sexual dimorphism of humoral immunity in experimental vaccines against Trypanosoma cruzi

BULFONI BALBI, CAMILA; PACINI, MARÍA FLORENCIA; DINATALE, BRENDA; GONZÁLEZ, FLORENCIA B.; VILLAR, SILVINA; FARRÉ, CECILIA.; CHAPO, GUSTAVO; PROCHETTO, ESTEFANÍA; MARCIPAR, IVÁN; CABRERA, GABRIEL; PERÉZ, ANA ROSA

Buenos Aires

Congreso; XXXII Reunión Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Protozoología; 2020

Sociedad Argentina de Protozoología

There is evidence that vaccine efficacy is affected by diverse parameters such as age,nutritional status, genetic diversity, pre-existing diseases and sex. Broadly, biomedicalresearch carried out in animals tend to analyse only one sex, assuming the results apply tothe other sex. Thus, the inclusion of both sexes in studies of immune function becomesincreasingly imperative.Historically, vaccine research against T. cruzi has been focused on antibody responseevaluation. In this context, we aim to evaluate possible variations in humoral responseinduced after experimental vaccine administration against T. cruzi between BALB/c males(M) and females (F). The immunization protocol consisted of three doses of trans-sialidase(TS)-based vaccine formulations inoculated at the nasal mucosa (10μg of TS emulsified inISCOM-like (ISPA) or 5t54r4c-di-AMP adjuvants). Controls were treated with saline solution(SS) or TS alone. Fifteen days after the last immunization, blood samples were obtainedfrom the facial vein to determine the levels of specific antibodies (IgG1/IgG2a). Later, micewere challenged orally with 3000 parasites of Tulahuén strain. Parasitemia and clinical scorewere evaluated until day 100 post-infection.TS-specific IgG2a and IgG1 levels in TS+c-di-AMP or TS+ISPA immunized F wereenhanced compared to SS or treated with TS alone (p