Boosting Vaccine-Elicited Respiratory Mucosal and Systemic COVID-19 Immunity in Mice With the Oral Lactobacillus plantarum

Jianqing Xu; Jianqing Xu; Zhihong Ren; Zhihong Ren; Kangli Cao; Xianping Li; Jing Yang; Xuelian Luo; Lingyan Zhu; Xiangwei Wang; Longfei Ding; Junrong Liang; Dong Jin; Tingting Yuan; Lianfeng Li; Jianguo Xu; Jianguo Xu

doi:10.3389/fnut.2021.789242

Frontiers in Nutrition (Dec 2021)

Boosting Vaccine-Elicited Respiratory Mucosal and Systemic COVID-19 Immunity in Mice With the Oral Lactobacillus plantarum

Jianqing Xu,
Jianqing Xu,
Zhihong Ren,
Zhihong Ren,
Kangli Cao,
Xianping Li,
Jing Yang,
Xuelian Luo,
Lingyan Zhu,
Xiangwei Wang,
Longfei Ding,
Junrong Liang,
Dong Jin,
Tingting Yuan,
Lianfeng Li,
Jianguo Xu,
Jianguo Xu

Affiliations

Jianqing Xu: Zhongshan Hospital, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Jianqing Xu: Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Zhihong Ren: Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Zhihong Ren: State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Research Units of Discovery of Unknown Bacteria and Function (2018 RU010), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
Kangli Cao: Zhongshan Hospital, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Xianping Li: State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Research Units of Discovery of Unknown Bacteria and Function (2018 RU010), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
Jing Yang: State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Research Units of Discovery of Unknown Bacteria and Function (2018 RU010), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
Xuelian Luo: State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Research Units of Discovery of Unknown Bacteria and Function (2018 RU010), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
Lingyan Zhu: Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Xiangwei Wang: Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Longfei Ding: Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Junrong Liang: State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Research Units of Discovery of Unknown Bacteria and Function (2018 RU010), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
Dong Jin: State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Research Units of Discovery of Unknown Bacteria and Function (2018 RU010), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
Tingting Yuan: Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Lianfeng Li: Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Jianguo Xu: State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Research Units of Discovery of Unknown Bacteria and Function (2018 RU010), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
Jianguo Xu: Institute of Public Health, Nankai University, Tianjing, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2021.789242
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 8

Abstract

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Boosting and prolonging SARS-CoV-2 vaccine-elicited immunity is paramount for containing the COVID-19 pandemic, which wanes substantially within months after vaccination. Here we demonstrate that the unique strain of probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum GUANKE (LPG) could promote SARS-CoV-2-specific immune responses in both effective and memory phases through enhancing interferon signaling and suppressing apoptotic and inflammatory pathways. Interestingly, oral LPG administration promoted SARS-CoV-2 neutralization antibodies even 6 months after immunization. Furthermore, when LPG was given immediately after SARS-CoV-2 vaccine inoculation, specific neutralization antibodies could be boosted >8-fold in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and >2-fold in sera, T-cell responses were persistent and stable for a prolonged period both in BAL and the spleen. Transcriptional analyses showed that oral application of LPG mobilized immune responses in the mucosal and systemic compartments; in particular, gut-spleen and gut-lung immune axes were observed. These results suggest that LPG could be applied in combination with SARS-CoV-2 vaccines to boost and prolong both the effective and memory immune responses in mucosal and systemic compartments, thereby improving the efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.

Published in Frontiers in Nutrition

ISSN: 2296-861X (Online)
Publisher: Frontiers Media S.A.
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Technology: Home economics: Nutrition. Foods and food supply
Website: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/

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