3.1 Selection of the VLPs dose for vaccine formulation with
adjuvants
To analyze the modulatory effect of ISPA on the immune response to VLPs,
a dose of VLPs capable of inducing 40% protection was first selected.
To this end, mice were vaccinated with 8, 4, 2, 1, 0.5, 0.3 or 0.1 µg
VLPs in PBS at 0 and 21 dpv and challenged with infectious FMDV,
serotype A/Argentina/2001 after 36 dpv. A dose-dependent decrease in
antibody titers with decreasing amounts of VLPs (Figure 1A), as well as
a concomitant protective effect were observed (Figure 1B). Forty percent
of mice vaccinated with 0.5 µg VLPs were protected upon viral challenge.
Thus, this dose was chosen for vaccine formulations to detect the action
of ISPA on the immune response against FMDV.