Adjuvant effect of Taenia crassiceps glycans against leishmanial antigens in mice infected with Leishmania mexicana

Complex glycans derived from lipid, nucleic acid and protein free extracts of Taenia crassiceps metacestode larvae were found to have adjuvant effect against Leishmania mexicana antigens in BALB/c mice experimentally infected with L. mexicana. A single intraperitoneal or subcutaneous injection of Taenia glycans altered the Th-1/Th-2 balance in experimentally infected mice as determined by Western blot analysis of IgG 1 and IgG 2a antibodies to L. mexicana antigens. Leishmania antigens which were immunogenic in Taenia glycan vaccinated mice were different from those of non-vaccinated mice. Vaccination induced leishmania antigen specific IFN-γ expression in vitro culture by spleen cells from Taenia glycan vaccinated-leishmania infected mice and not from mock vaccinated-leishmania infected BALB/c mice. We conclude that T. crassiceps glycans have immunoadjuvant effects against leishmania and may be developed as adjuvants in anti-leishmania vaccines.