Spray-dried powders of starch and crosslinked poly(acrylic acid) as carriers for nasal delivery of inactivated influenza vaccine

Mucosal vaccination has several advantages over parenteral vaccination. In this study, viscosity-enhancing mucosal delivery systems for the induction of an adaptive immune response against viral antigen were investigated. Powder formulations based on spray-dried mixtures of starch (Amioca®)/poly(acrylic acid) (Carbopol® 974P) in different ratios were used as carriers of the viral antigen. A comparison of these formulations for intranasal delivery of heat-inactivated influenza virus combined with LTR192G adjuvant was made in vivo in a rabbit model. Individual rabbit sera were tested for seroconversion against hemagglutinin (HA), the major surface antigen of influenza. The powder vaccine formulations were able to induce systemic anti-HA IgG responses. The presence of Carbopol® 974P improved the kinetics of the immune responses and the level of IgG titers in a dose-dependent way which was correlated with moderately irritating capacities of the formulation. In contrast, mucosal IgA responses were not detected. In conclusion, it was demonstrated that the use of bioadhesive carriers based on Amioca® starch and poly(acrylic acid) facilitates the induction of a systemic anti-HA antibody response after intranasal vaccination with a whole virus influenza vaccine.