Efficacy and Safety of Native and Recombinant Zona Pellucida Immunocontraceptive Vaccines Formulated with Non-Freund’s Adjuvants in Donkeys

oleh: Hilari French, Lorenzo Segabinazzi, Brittany Middlebrooks, Erik Peterson, Martin Schulman, Robyn Roth, Michael Crampton, Anne Conan, Silvia Marchi, Trevor Gilbert, Darryn Knobel, Henk Bertschinger

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2022-11-01

Deskripsi

This study aimed to test zona pellucida (ZP) vaccines’ immunocontraceptive efficacy and safety when formulated with non-Freund’s adjuvant (6% Pet Gel A and 500 Μg Poly(I:C)). Twenty-four jennies were randomly assigned to three treatment groups: reZP (<i>n</i> = 7) received three doses of recombinant ZP vaccine; pZP (<i>n</i> = 9) received two doses of native porcine ZP; and Control group (<i>n</i> = 8) received two injections of placebo. Jennies were monitored weekly via transrectal ultrasonography and blood sampling for serum progesterone profiles and anti-pZP antibody titres. In addition, adverse effects were inspected after vaccination. Thirty-five days after the last treatment, jacks were introduced to each group and rotated every 28 days. Vaccination with both pZP and reZP was associated with ovarian shutdown in 44% (4/9) and 71% (4/7) of jennies, 118 ± 33 and 91 ± 20 days after vaccination, respectively (<i>p</i> > 0.05). Vaccination delayed the chances of a jenny becoming pregnant (<i>p</i> = 0.0005; Control, 78 ± 31 days; pZP, 218 ± 69 days; reZP, 244 ± 104 days). Anti-pZP antibody titres were elevated in all vaccinated jennies compared to Control jennies (<i>p</i> < 0.05). In addition, only mild local injection site reactions were observed in the jennies after treatment. In conclusion, ZP vaccines formulated with non-Freund’s adjuvant effectively controlled reproduction in jennies with only minor localised side effects.