Leaf Saponins of Quillaja brasiliensis as Powerful Vaccine Adjuvants

Vaccine adjuvants are non-immunogenic agents that enhance or modulate immune responses to co-administered antigens and are essential to modern vaccines. Despite their importance, few are approved for human use. The rise of new pathogens and limited efficacy of some existing vaccines underscore the n...

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Main Author: Morais, Víctor (author)
Other Authors: Suárez, Norma (author), Cibulski, Samuel (author), Silveira, Fernando (author)
Format: article
Language:English
Published: 2025
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Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12008/50775
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author Morais, Víctor
author2 Suárez, Norma
Cibulski, Samuel
Silveira, Fernando
author2_role author
author
author
author_browse Cibulski, Samuel
Morais, Víctor
Silveira, Fernando
Suárez, Norma
author_facet Morais, Víctor
Suárez, Norma
Cibulski, Samuel
Silveira, Fernando
author_role author
collection COLIBRI
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Morais Víctor, Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Higiene. Unidad Académica Desarrollo Biotecnológico
Suárez Norma, Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Higiene. Unidad Académica Desarrollo Biotecnológico
Cibulski Samuel, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) (Brasil). Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde do Trairi
Silveira Fernando, Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Higiene. Unidad Académica Desarrollo Biotecnológico
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Morais, Víctor
Suárez, Norma
Cibulski, Samuel
Silveira, Fernando
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025-07-25T18:09:51Z
2025-07-25T18:09:51Z
2025
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv MORAIS, V., SUÁREZ, N., CIBULSKI, S., y otros. Leaf Saponins of Quillaja brasiliensis as Powerful Vaccine Adjuvants. Pharmaceutics [en línea] 2025, 17(8) 966. DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics17080966
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12008/50775
10.3390/pharmaceutics17080966
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv en
eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Pharmaceutics. 17(8) 966, 2025
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Licencia Creative Commons Atribución (CC - By 4.0)
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:COLIBRI
instname:Universidad de la República
instacron:Universidad de la República
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Quillaja
Saponins
Vaccine adjuvants
Nanoadjuvants
ISCOM-matrices
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Leaf Saponins of Quillaja brasiliensis as Powerful Vaccine Adjuvants
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Artículo
info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
description Vaccine adjuvants are non-immunogenic agents that enhance or modulate immune responses to co-administered antigens and are essential to modern vaccines. Despite their importance, few are approved for human use. The rise of new pathogens and limited efficacy of some existing vaccines underscore the need for more advanced and effective formulations, particularly for vulnerable populations. Aluminum-based adjuvants are commonly used in vaccines and effectively promote humoral immunity. However, they mainly induce a Th2-biased response, making them suboptimal for diseases requiring cell-mediated immunity. In contrast, saponin-based adjuvants from the Quillajaceae family elicit a more balanced Th1/Th2 response and generate antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells (CTL). Due to ecological damage and limited availability caused by overharvesting Quillaja saponaria Molina barks, efforts have intensified to identify alternative plant-derived saponins with enhanced efficacy and lower toxicity. Quillaja brasiliensis (A.St.-Hil. and Tul.) Mart. (syn. Quillaja lancifolia D.Don), a related species native to South America, is considered a promising renewable source of Quillajaceae saponins. In this review, we highlight recent advances in vaccine adjuvant research, with a particular focus on saponins extracted from Q. brasiliensis leaves as a sustainable alternative to Q. saponaria saponins. These saponin fractions are structurally and functionally comparable, exhibiting similar adjuvant activity when they were formulated with different viral antigens. An alternative application involves formulating saponins into nanoparticles known as ISCOMs (immune-stimulating complexes) or ISCOM-matrices. These formulations significantly reduce hemolytic activity while preserving strong immunoadjuvant properties. Therefore, research advances using saponin-based adjuvants (SBA) derived from Q. brasiliensis and their incorporation into new vaccine platforms may represent a viable and sustainable solution for the development of more less reactogenic, safer, and effective vaccines, especially for diseases that require a robust cellular immunity.
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
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identifier_str_mv MORAIS, V., SUÁREZ, N., CIBULSKI, S., y otros. Leaf Saponins of Quillaja brasiliensis as Powerful Vaccine Adjuvants. Pharmaceutics [en línea] 2025, 17(8) 966. DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics17080966
10.3390/pharmaceutics17080966
instacron_str Universidad de la República
institution Universidad de la República
instname_str Universidad de la República
language eng
language_invalid_str_mv en
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oai_identifier_str oai:colibri.udelar.edu.uy:20.500.12008/50775
publishDate 2025
publishDateSort 2025
reponame_str COLIBRI
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rights_invalid_str_mv Licencia Creative Commons Atribución (CC - By 4.0)
spelling Leaf Saponins of Quillaja brasiliensis as Powerful Vaccine AdjuvantsMorais, VíctorSuárez, NormaCibulski, SamuelSilveira, FernandoQuillajaSaponinsVaccine adjuvantsNanoadjuvantsISCOM-matricesVaccine adjuvants are non-immunogenic agents that enhance or modulate immune responses to co-administered antigens and are essential to modern vaccines. Despite their importance, few are approved for human use. The rise of new pathogens and limited efficacy of some existing vaccines underscore the need for more advanced and effective formulations, particularly for vulnerable populations. Aluminum-based adjuvants are commonly used in vaccines and effectively promote humoral immunity. However, they mainly induce a Th2-biased response, making them suboptimal for diseases requiring cell-mediated immunity. In contrast, saponin-based adjuvants from the Quillajaceae family elicit a more balanced Th1/Th2 response and generate antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells (CTL). Due to ecological damage and limited availability caused by overharvesting Quillaja saponaria Molina barks, efforts have intensified to identify alternative plant-derived saponins with enhanced efficacy and lower toxicity. Quillaja brasiliensis (A.St.-Hil. and Tul.) Mart. (syn. Quillaja lancifolia D.Don), a related species native to South America, is considered a promising renewable source of Quillajaceae saponins. In this review, we highlight recent advances in vaccine adjuvant research, with a particular focus on saponins extracted from Q. brasiliensis leaves as a sustainable alternative to Q. saponaria saponins. These saponin fractions are structurally and functionally comparable, exhibiting similar adjuvant activity when they were formulated with different viral antigens. An alternative application involves formulating saponins into nanoparticles known as ISCOMs (immune-stimulating complexes) or ISCOM-matrices. These formulations significantly reduce hemolytic activity while preserving strong immunoadjuvant properties. Therefore, research advances using saponin-based adjuvants (SBA) derived from Q. brasiliensis and their incorporation into new vaccine platforms may represent a viable and sustainable solution for the development of more less reactogenic, safer, and effective vaccines, especially for diseases that require a robust cellular immunity.Morais Víctor, Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Higiene. Unidad Académica Desarrollo BiotecnológicoSuárez Norma, Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Higiene. Unidad Académica Desarrollo BiotecnológicoCibulski Samuel, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) (Brasil). Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde do TrairiSilveira Fernando, Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Higiene. Unidad Académica Desarrollo Biotecnológico2025-07-25T18:09:51Z2025-07-25T18:09:51Z2025Artículoinfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionapplication/pdfMORAIS, V., SUÁREZ, N., CIBULSKI, S., y otros. Leaf Saponins of Quillaja brasiliensis as Powerful Vaccine Adjuvants. Pharmaceutics [en línea] 2025, 17(8) 966. DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics17080966https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12008/5077510.3390/pharmaceutics17080966reponame:COLIBRIinstname:Universidad de la Repúblicainstacron:Universidad de la RepúblicaenengPharmaceutics. 17(8) 966, 2025Las obras depositadas en el Repositorio se rigen por la Ordenanza de los Derechos de la Propiedad Intelectual de la Universidad de la República.(Res. Nº 91 de C.D.C. de 8/III/1994 – D.O. 7/IV/1994) y por la Ordenanza del Repositorio Abierto de la Universidad de la República (Res. Nº 16 de C.D.C. de 07/10/2014)info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessLicencia Creative Commons Atribución (CC - By 4.0)oai:colibri.udelar.edu.uy:20.500.12008/507752026-04-14T10:37:02Z
spellingShingle Leaf Saponins of Quillaja brasiliensis as Powerful Vaccine Adjuvants
Morais, Víctor
Quillaja
Saponins
Vaccine adjuvants
Nanoadjuvants
ISCOM-matrices
status_str publishedVersion
title Leaf Saponins of Quillaja brasiliensis as Powerful Vaccine Adjuvants
title_full Leaf Saponins of Quillaja brasiliensis as Powerful Vaccine Adjuvants
title_fullStr Leaf Saponins of Quillaja brasiliensis as Powerful Vaccine Adjuvants
title_full_unstemmed Leaf Saponins of Quillaja brasiliensis as Powerful Vaccine Adjuvants
title_short Leaf Saponins of Quillaja brasiliensis as Powerful Vaccine Adjuvants
title_sort Leaf Saponins of Quillaja brasiliensis as Powerful Vaccine Adjuvants
topic Quillaja
Saponins
Vaccine adjuvants
Nanoadjuvants
ISCOM-matrices
url https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12008/50775