Design, Synthesis, Physicochemical and Immunological Characterization of Dendrimer-HBsAg Conjugate

Manufacturing new Hepatitis B virus vaccines, specifically by the use of nanoparticles, is of high global interest. In this paper, a new biocompatible and biodegradable structure of nano-sized hepatitis B virus’ surface antigen (HBsAg) was generated by conjugation with dendrimers, a low cost biodegradable and biocompatible polymer. The physicochemical properties of the conjugate were characterized by zeta potential and size distribution analyses and FT-IR spectrometry. The results confirmed the conjugation between HBsAg and the dendrimers. Immunological assays indicated that the immunogenicity of the conjugated HBsAg is more than HBsAg alone. Further investigations are required to explore the mechanisms of action and the exact immunological pathway(s) of this nanocomplex vaccine candidate.