Abstract
Background and purpose:
Hypertension has been the leading preventable cause of premature death worldwide. The aim of this study was to design a more efficient vaccine against novel targets for the treatment of hypertension.
Experimental approach:
The epitope CE12, derived from the human L-type calcium channel (CaV 1.2), was designed and conjugated with Qβ bacteriophage virus-like particles to test the efficacy in hypertensive animals. Further, the hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg)-CE12-CQ10 vaccine, a bivalent vaccine based on HBcAg virus-like particles and targeting both human angiotensin AT1 receptors and CaV 1.2 channels, was developed and evaluated in hypertensive rodents.
Key results:
The Qβ-CE12 vaccine effectively decreased the BP in hypertensive rodents. A monoclonal antibody against CE12 specifically bound to L-type calcium channels and inhibited channel activity. Injection with monoclonal antibody against CE12 effectively reduced the BP in angiotensin II-induced hypertensive mice. The HBcAg-CE12-CQ10 vaccine showed antihypertensive effects in hypertensive mice and relatively superior antihypertensive effects in spontaneously hypertensive rats and ameliorated L-NAME-induced renal injury. In addition, no obvious immune-mediated damage or electrophysiological adverse effects were detected.
Conclusion and implications:
Immunotherapy against both AT1 receptors and CaV 1.2 channels decreased the BP in hypertensive rodents effectively and provided protection against hypertensive target organ damage without obvious feedback activation of renin-angiotensin system or induction of dominant antibodies against the carrier protein. Thus, the HBcAg-CE12-CQ10 vaccine may provide a novel and promising therapeutic approach for hypertension.