Immunological Evaluation of HIV-1 VLP Harboring MPER-V3 in ‎BALB/c Mice Model

Aims: Developing an effective vaccine against Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is necessary. The aim of this study was the immunological evaluation of HIV-1 VLP harboring MPER-V3 in BALB/c mice model.
In the present experimental research, presenting 40 female mice, which were between 6 and 8 weeks old, were used for immunization with VLP MPER-V3. The mice were divided into 8 groups and in each group, 5 mice were considered. Injections were performed three times at three weeks intervals and subcutaneously in a volume of 100μl per mouse. Two weeks after last injection, mouse blood samples were collected by retro-orbital bleeding and immune responses were evaluated in serum for levels of total IgG and splenocytes for cytokine assay, using ELISA method. The data analysis was performed, using Mann-Whitney test and one-way analysis of variance.
Findings: The level of total antibody production was very high in all groups that had VLP alone or with adjuvant immunity, having a significant difference with the control group (p VLPs can stimulate the humoral immune system in mice immunized with these particles alone or formulated with adjuvant. Also, the level of production of IL-5 in the presence of the vaccine candidate as VLP increased significantly.