Immunostimulatory activity and safety evaluation of Bordetella bronchiseptica-derived lipopolysaccharide, a new vaccine adjuvant candidate

Adjuvants are used to elicit strong immune responses for vaccines that show poor immunogenicity. Previously, we demonstrated that a sonicated bacterin of Bordetella bronchiseptica can be used as a safe adjuvant that enhances the antigen-presenting capability of dendritic cells (DCs). In this study, we purified the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of B. bronchiseptica (Bb-LPS) and investigated its immunogenic effects on DCs compared to those of Escherichia coli O26:B6 (O26)-derived LPS (O26-LPS), a positive control. Bb-LPS was purified using an LPS extraction kit. Limulus amebocyte lysate assay was performed to determine the optimal concentration of Bb-LPS and O26-LPS for treatment. Bb-LPS increased the metabolic activity of DCs at a concentration of 0 to 250 EU/mL, similar to that of O26-LPS. Bb-LPS significantly increased the expression level of CD40 and CD54, related to the immune responses of DCs. Bb-LPS enhanced the antigen-presenting capability of DCs and significantly increased the interferon-gamma/interleukin-4 ratio of CD4+ T cells co-cultured with DCs to 0.95 (p