Evaluation of humoral and cellular immune responses of chitosan-based Newcastle nanoparticles vaccination with homokinin-1 molecular adjuvant

The global spread of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) in poultry has highlighted the need for improved immunization programs against the disease. In this study, the effect of hemokinin-? (HK-?) as a biological agjuvant on the induction of humoral and cellular immune responses against chitosan-based NDV nanoparticles was investigated.

In this experimental study, , sixty SPF chickens were equally divided into six control and treatment groups. Control groups included received physiological serum, NDV inactivated antigen, and oil-adjuvanted NDV inactivated antigen; and treatment groups received chitosan, chitosan-based NDV nanoparticles, and the nanoparticles with HK-?. Based on the groupings, the chickens received each sample via eye drop on one day of age. Serum samples were collected at defined intervals and the humoral immune response was assessed by hemaagglutination inhibition (HI) test. Stimulation of the cellular immune response in different groups was assessed using cutaneous basophil susceptibility response (CBH).

Addition of HK-? to NDV nanoparticles increased the mean HI antibody titer compared to the group receiving nanoparticles alone. The difference in immune response between these two groups was significant (P