Cross-protection against influenza virus infection by intranasal administration of nucleoprotein-based vaccine with compound 48/80 adjuvant

The nucleoprotein (NP) of influenza viruses is highly conserved and therefore has become one of the major targets of current universal influenza vaccine (UIV) studies. In this study, the recombinant nucleoprotein (NP) of the A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) influenza virus strain was expressed using an Escherichia coli (E. coli) expression system and then purified as a candidate UIV. The NP protein was administered intranasally or intraperitoneally twice at 3-week intervals to female BALB/c mice in combination with C48/80 adjuvant. Then, the mice were challenged with homologous or heterologous influenza viruses at a lethal dose 3 weeks after the last immunization. The results showed that the serum IgG titers of all of the mice immunized with NP reached a higher level and the protection provided by NP vaccine against the homologous virus depended on the administered dosage and adjuvant. In addition, immunization with 100 μg NP in combination with C48/80 adjuvant could provide good cross-protection against heterologous H9N...