Modulation of Immune Response Induced by Co-Administration of DNA Vaccine Encoding HBV Surface Antigen and HCV Envelope Antigen in BALB/c Mice

Plasmid DNA vaccines encoding the hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface and hepatitis C virus (HCV) envelope antigens, respectively, were constructed, and attempt were made to find the possibility of a divalent vaccine against HBV and HCV. The expression of each plasmid in Cos-1 cells was confirmed using immunocytochemistry. To measure the induced immune response by these plasmids in vivo, female BALB/c mice were immunized intramuscularly with $100\;{\mu}g$ of either both or just one of the plasmids. Anti-HBV and HCV-specific antibodies and related cytokines were evaluated to investigate the generation of both humoral and cellular immune responses. As a result, specific anti-HBV and anti-HCV serum antibodies from mice immunized with these plasmids were observed using immunoblot. The levels of IL-2 and RANTES showing a $Th_{1}$ immune response were significantly increased, but there was no change in the level of IL-4 ($Th_{1}$ immune response) in any of the immunized groups. Compared with each plasmid DNA vaccine, the combined vaccine elicited similar immune responses in both humoral and cell-mediated immunities. These results suggest that the combined DNA vaccine can induce not only comparable immunity experimentally without antigenic interference, but also humoral and $Th_{1}$ dominant cellular immune responses. Therefore, they could serve as candidates for a simultaneous bivalent vaccine against HBV and HCV infections.