Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41836729›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of nanomedicine2026

Immunogenicity Enhancement via Self-Assembled mi3 Nanoparticles Displaying ESAT-6 Antigen.

Sihang Dong, Shuang Wu, Ke Liang, Hui Zhang, Fangzheng Guo, Yamin Song, Yanmei Hao, Zhongqing Qian, Xiaojing Wang, Tao Xu and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of nanomedicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Sihang DongAnhui Province Key Laboratory of Immunology in Chronic Diseases, Medicine Experimental Center, Laboratory Medicine College, Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu, 233030, People's Republic of China.
Shuang WuAnhui Province Key Laboratory of Immunology in Chronic Diseases, Medicine Experimental Center, Laboratory Medicine College, Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu, 233030, People's Republic of China.
Ke LiangAnhui Province Key Laboratory of Immunology in Chronic Diseases, Medicine Experimental Center, Laboratory Medicine College, Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu, 233030, People's Republic of China.
Hui ZhangDepartment of Neurosurgery, the First Afliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu, 233000, People's Republic of China.
Fangzheng GuoAnhui Province Key Laboratory of Immunology in Chronic Diseases, Medicine Experimental Center, Laboratory Medicine College, Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu, 233030, People's Republic of China.
Yamin SongAnhui Province Key Laboratory of Immunology in Chronic Diseases, Medicine Experimental Center, Laboratory Medicine College, Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu, 233030, People's Republic of China.
Yanmei HaoAnhui Province Key Laboratory of Immunology in Chronic Diseases, Medicine Experimental Center, Laboratory Medicine College, Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu, 233030, People's Republic of China.
Zhongqing QianAnhui Province Key Laboratory of Immunology in Chronic Diseases, Medicine Experimental Center, Laboratory Medicine College, Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu, 233030, People's Republic of China.
Xiaojing WangAnhui Province Key Laboratory of Respiratory Tumor and Infectious Disease, Molecular Diagnosis Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu, 233004, People's Republic of China.
Tao XuAnhui Province Key Laboratory of Immunology in Chronic Diseases, Medicine Experimental Center, Laboratory Medicine College, Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu, 233030, People's Republic of China.
Hongtao WangAnhui Province Key Laboratory of Immunology in Chronic Diseases, Medicine Experimental Center, Laboratory Medicine College, Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu, 233030, People's Republic of China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: The only World Health Organization (WHO)-approved vaccine for tuberculosis (TB), Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), shows limited efficacy, particularly against adult pulmonary TB. Moreover, traditional subunit vaccines often suffer from poor immunogenicity. To address these challenges, we aimed to enhance the immune activation potential of the early secreted antigenic target of 6 kDa (ESAT-6) by developing a novel nanoparticle-based vaccine platform. Methods: We engineered a nanovaccine using mi3 nanoparticles to display the ESAT-6 antigen on their surface. These nanoparticles self-assembled into uniform dodecahedral structures, enabling enhanced antigen presentation. To evaluate its immunogenicity, mice (n= 6 per group) were primed with BCG and subsequently boosted with the ESAT-6-mi3 nanovaccine. Control groups included mice receiving BCG alone or unconjugated nanoparticles. Results: Compared with mice that received BCG alone or unconjugated nanoparticles, those boosted with the ESAT-6-mi3 nanoparticle vaccine exhibited significantly stronger immune responses. Antigen-specific antibody titers increased by more than 10-fold compared to the BCG-only group. Additionally, elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-2 were observed, indicating a robust Th1/Th17-biased cellular immune response. Our findings indicate that the vaccine candidate can elicit effective immune responses in vitro. However, it should be noted that this study has limitations, primarily including the lack of an in vivo pathogen challenge to assess actual protective efficacy and the evaluation of immune responses against only a single antigen. Therefore, these results require further validation in future studies involving challenge experiments and multi-antigen strategies. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that the ESAT-6-mi3 nanoparticle vaccine markedly enhances both humoral and cellular immune responses, outperforming traditional subunit vaccine approaches. This strategy shows strong potential as a next-generation booster vaccine to complement BCG and improve TB immunization outcomes.

Indexed as

Antigens, BacterialBacterial ProteinsNanoparticlesTuberculosis VaccinesAnimalsAntibodies, BacterialBCG VaccineCytokinesFemaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLNanovaccinesProtein Subunit VaccinesTuberculosisAntibodies, BacterialAntigens, BacterialBacterial ProteinsBCG VaccineCytokinesESAT-6 protein, Mycobacterium tuberculosisNanovaccinesProtein Subunit VaccinesTuberculosis Vaccinesmi3Mycobacterium tuberculosisnanoparticleself-assembledvaccine

Identifiers

PMID41836729
PMCPMC12988470

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.