ABSTRACT
Objective To study the immune efficacy of ginsenoside Re as the adjuvant of anti-caries subunit vac-cine rPAc. Methods 40 mice were randomly diveded into four groups:anti-caries vaccine group( rPAc group) ,gin- senoside Re groups( Re group) , Re+rPAc group, normal saline group( NS group) . Mice were intranasally immu-nized twice on weeks 0 and 2 with rPAc,Re,Re+rPAc or normal saline,respectively. Concentration of specific anti-bodies in serum and saliva were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). In addition, cytokine production of spleen lymphocyte responses were also evaluated. 24 Wistar rats,infected with S. mutans Ingbritt, were randomly diveded into four groups:rPAc group,Re group, Re+rPAc group, NS group. Rats were jmmunized intranasally with rPAc,Re, Re+rPAc or normal saline,respectively. The Keyes method was used to determine the caries activity. Results The level of serum specific anti-PAc IgG, IgG1,IgG2a and saliva anti-PAc IgA were sig-nificantly higher in Re+rPAc group (P＜0. 05). In addition, the expression of cytokines interluekin-4 and inter-feron-γ were significantly upregulated in Re+rPAc group than those in any other groups(P＜0. 01). Re+rPAc im-munized rats showed significantly fewer E,Ds and Dm lesions than rPAc-immunized rats,Re-immunized rats or NS-immunized rats(P＜0. 05). Conclusion Re as the adjuvant of anti-caries subunit vaccine rPAc triggers a stronger humoral and cellular response against dental caries,and Re is a promising adjuvant for anti-caries vaccine rPAc.