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The mRNA-LNP platform’s lipid nanoparticle component used in preclinical vaccine studies is highly inflammatory

Sonia Ndeupen, Zhen Qin, Sonya Jacobsen, Henri Estanbouli, Aurélie Bouteau, Botond Z. Igyártó
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.04.430128
Sonia Ndeupen
1Thomas Jefferson University, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Philadelphia, PA
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Zhen Qin
1Thomas Jefferson University, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Philadelphia, PA
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Sonya Jacobsen
1Thomas Jefferson University, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Philadelphia, PA
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Henri Estanbouli
1Thomas Jefferson University, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Philadelphia, PA
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Aurélie Bouteau
1Thomas Jefferson University, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Philadelphia, PA
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Botond Z. Igyártó
1Thomas Jefferson University, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Philadelphia, PA
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  • For correspondence: botond.igyarto@jefferson.edu
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ABSTRACT

Vaccines based on mRNA-containing lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are a promising new platform used by two leading vaccines against coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19). Clinical trials and ongoing vaccinations present with very high protection levels and varying degrees of side effects. However, the nature of the reported side effects remains poorly defined. Here we present evidence that LNPs used in many preclinical studies are highly inflammatory in mice. Intradermal injection of these LNPs led to rapid and robust inflammatory responses, characterized by massive neutrophil infiltration, activation of diverse inflammatory pathways, and production of various inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. The same dose of LNP delivered intranasally led to similar inflammatory responses in the lung and resulted in a high mortality rate.

In summary, here we show that the LNPs used for many preclinical studies are highly inflammatory. Thus, their potent adjuvant activity and reported superiority comparing to other adjuvants in supporting the induction of adaptive immune responses could stem from their inflammatory nature. Furthermore, the preclinical LNPs are similar to the ones used for human vaccines, which could also explain the observed side effects in humans using this platform.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
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Posted March 04, 2021.
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The mRNA-LNP platform’s lipid nanoparticle component used in preclinical vaccine studies is highly inflammatory
Sonia Ndeupen, Zhen Qin, Sonya Jacobsen, Henri Estanbouli, Aurélie Bouteau, Botond Z. Igyártó
bioRxiv 2021.03.04.430128; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.04.430128
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The mRNA-LNP platform’s lipid nanoparticle component used in preclinical vaccine studies is highly inflammatory
Sonia Ndeupen, Zhen Qin, Sonya Jacobsen, Henri Estanbouli, Aurélie Bouteau, Botond Z. Igyártó
bioRxiv 2021.03.04.430128; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.04.430128

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