Recombinant Filamentous Bacteriophages Encapsulated in Biodegradable Polymeric Microparticles for Stimulation of Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses

Escherichia coli filamentous bacteriophages (M13, f1, or fd) have attracted tremendous attention from vaccinologists as a promising immunogenic carrier and vaccine delivery vehicle with vast possible applications in the development of vaccines. The use of fd bacteriophage as an antigen delivery system is based on a modification of bacteriophage display technology. In particular, it is designed to express multiple copies of exogenous peptides (or polypeptides) covalently linked to viral capsid proteins. This study for the first time proposes the use of microparticles (MPs) made of poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) to encapsulate fd bacteriophage. Bacteriophage–PLGA MPs were synthesized by a water in oil in water (w(1)/o/w(2)) emulsion technique, and their morphological properties were analyzed by confocal and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Moreover, phage integrity, encapsulation efficiency, and release were investigated. Using recombinant bacteriophages expressing the ovalbumin (OVA) antigenic determinant, we demonstrated the immunogenicity of the encapsulated bacteriophage after being released by MPs. Our results reveal that encapsulated bacteriophages are stable and retain their immunogenic properties. Bacteriophage-encapsulated PLGA microparticles may thus represent an important tool for the development of different bacteriophage-based vaccine platforms.