Monophosphoryl lipid A enhances nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae-specific mucosal and systemic immune responses by intranasal immunization.

OBJECTIVE: Acute otitis media (AOM) is one of the most common infectious diseases in children. Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is Gram-negative bacteria that are considered major pathogens of AOM and respiratory tract infections. In this study, we used monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL), a toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 agonist, as an adjuvant to induce mucosal immune responses against NTHi to enhance bacterial clearance from the nasopharynx.

METHODS: Mice were administered 10 μg outer membrane protein (OMP) from NTHi and 0, 10, or 20 μg MPL intranasally once a week for 3 weeks. Control mice were administered phosphate-buffered saline alone. After immunization, these mice were challenged with NTHi. At 6 and 12 h after bacterial challenge, the mice were killed and nasal washes and sera were collected. The numbers of NTHi- and OMP-specific antibodies were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTS: The MPL 10 and 20 μg group produced a significant reduction in the number of bacteria recovered from the nasopharynx at 12 h after bacterial challenge compared to the control group. OMP-specific IgA titers were also augmented in the MPL groups compared to the control and OMP groups.

CONCLUSION: MPL is suitable for eliciting effective mucosal immune responses against NTHi in the nasopharynx. These results demonstrate the possibility of an adjuvant that involves stimulation of the innate immune system by TLR4 agonists such as MPL for mucosal vaccination.