چكيده لاتين :
The goal of this study was to prepare and characterize alginate microspheres as
an antigen delivery system and adjuvant for immunization against leishmaniasis.
Microspheres encapsulated with autoclaved Leishmania major (ALM) and Quillaja
saponin (QS) were prepared by an emulsification technique and characterized for
size, encapsulation efficiency and release profile of encapsulates. Selection of
appropriate parameters (viscosity of alginate, emulsifier and sonication times)
enabled the preparation of alginate microspheres with a mean diameter of 1.92±1.0
ىm, as determined by scanning electron microscopy and particle size analyzer. The
encapsulation efficiency was about 34.2±6.7% for ALM and 31.0±4.4% for QS, as
determined by spectrophotometric assays. In vitro release profile showed a slow
release rate for encapsulated ALM and QS, 35.7±8.7% of ALM and 36.9±4.7% of
QS were released during 1 week. The molecular weight was evaluated by SDS-PAGE
and showed that the process of encapsulation did not affect the molecular weight
of the entrapped antigen. With regard to the optimum diameter (less than 5 m), slow
release rate and preservation of antigen molecules, formulated alginate microspheres
could be considered as a promising antigen delivery system and adjuvant for ALM
and QS.
