Aluminium phosphate potentiates the efficacy of DNA vaccines against Leishmania mexicana

DNA vaccines have been able to induce partial protection against infection with Leishmania in mice, but it is still necessary to increase their efficacy. In the present study we evaluated aluminium phosphate as an adjuvant of different formulations and doses of DNA vaccines against L. mexicana in BALB/c mice. Aluminium phosphate had no effect on the humoral response induced by a high dose (100 μg) DNA vaccine, but slightly increased the cellular response and the protection against infection. It also allowed a non-immunoprotective low dose (20 μg) DNA vaccine encoding L. mexicana GP63 and Leishmania donovani NH36 to become protective. Aluminium phosphate may thus be an effective, low cost and safe adjuvant for DNA vaccines, and the vaccine formulation described here may be an excellent candidate for further vaccine development against Leishmania.