Design and Development of Immunomodulatory Antigen Delivery Systems Based on Peptide/PEG–PLA Conjugate for Tuning Immunity

Cancer vaccines are considered to be a promising tool for cancer immunotherapy. However, a well-designed cancer vaccine should combine a tumor-associated antigen (TAA) with the most effective immunomodulatory agents and/or delivery system to provoke intense immune responses against the TAA. In the present study, we introduced a new approach by conjugating the immunomodulatory molecule LD-indolicidin to the hydrophilic chain end of the polymeric emulsifier poly­(ethylene glycol)-polylactide (PEG-PLA), allowing the molecule to be located close to the surface of the resulting emulsion. A peptide/polymer conjugate, named LD-indolicidin–PEG-PLA, was synthesized by conjugation of the amine end-group of LD-indolicidin to the N-hydroxysuccinimide-activated carboxyl end-group of PEG. As an adjuvant for cancer immunotherapeutic use, TAA vaccine candidate formulated with the LD-indolicidin–PEG-PLA-stabilized squalene-in-water emulsion could effectively help to elicit a T helper (Th)­1-dominant antigen-specific immune response as well as antitumor ability, using ovalbumin (OVA) protein/EG7 cells as a TAA/tumor cell model. Taken together, these results open up a new approach to the development of immunomodulatory antigen delivery systems for vaccine adjuvants and cancer immunotherapy technologies.