Biodegradable nanoparticles containing TLR3 or TLR9 agonists together with antigen enhance MHC-restricted presentation of the antigen.

The effects of intraphagosomal toll-like receptor (TLR) activation on the MHC-restricted presentation of exogenous antigen were examined in dendritic cells (DCs). For phagosomal targeting, nanoparticles containing both a TLR agonist and a model antigen, ovalbumin (OVA), were prepared using biodegradable polymer poly(D,L-lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) and were then opsonized with mouse IgG. After incubating mouse DCs with the nanoparticles, the efficacy of OVA peptide presentation was evaluated using OVA-specific CD8 and CD4 T cells. Inclusion of either the TLR3 agonist poly(I:C) or the TLR9 agonist CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) significantly increased and prolonged both MHC class I- and class II-restricted OVA presentation. Accordingly, the DCs that phagocytosed the nanoparticles containing poly(I:C) or CpG ODN together with OVA efficiently induced the proliferation of OVA-specific CD8 and CD4 T cells. The potency levels of poly(I:C) and CpG ODN in increasing the MHC-restricted presentation of the exogenous antigen appeared to be similar. A combination of the 2 TLR agonists was synergistic in increasing the MHC class I-restricted, but not the class II-restricted, presentation of exogenous antigen. These results show that IgG-opsonized biodegradable nanoparticles containing both intraphagosomal TLR agonists and antigens can be efficient carrier materials in inducing antigen-specific T cell responses.