Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) have attracted a high level of attention in both academia and industrial sectors due to their unique physicochemical properties, relative abundance, renewability, sustainability and commercial production. Their needle-like nanosize dimensions, large surface area, biocompatibility and non-toxic character have rendered them as attractive “green” bionanomaterials for biomedical applications. Given their rigid needle-like morphologies, we herein investigate the use of cationic CNCs as potential vaccine adjuvants. Vaccine adjuvants are substances that activate complex signaling networks, necessary to develop antigen-specific adaptive immunity. The design of novel biomaterials with potential vaccine adjuvant properties will broaden the choice of a proper adjuvant, which can reflect on the best results for a given vaccine. Herein, we report the synthesis, characterization and cytotoxicity studies of a small library of cationic CNCs-polymer conjugates. Anionic CNCs were rendered cationic after grafting with cationic polymers via surface-initiated single electron transfer living radical polymerization method. The modified CNCs were characterized by both spectroscopic and analytical techniques. Because the potential application of these CNCs as vaccine adjuvants, we first analyzed their cytotoxicity using MTT assay in mammalian cell lines involved in the immune response. None of the CNCs, conjugated or pristine, decreased the cell viability of mouse macrophage-like (J774A.1) or mouse microglial (BV2) cell lines, in the tested conditions. Our initial results indicated that these CNCs-polymer conjugates are promising nanomaterials to be further investigated as vaccine adjuvants, since they showed needle-like morphology, cationic nature and are nontoxic to inflammatory mammalian cell lines.

Cationic cellulose nanocrystals-polymer conjugates as potential vaccine adjuvants

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

[Author Benefits](https://scimeetings.acs.org/?utm_source=pubs_content_marketing&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=0320_MCF_NPI_Launch_Spring_Homepage&ref=pubs_content_marketing)

[How to use SciMeetings](https://storage.googleapis.com/dl.morressier.com/acs/SciMeetings-ACSSpring2020-HowToGuide_M3020-Final.pdf)

[Frequently Asked Questions](https://storage.googleapis.com/dl.morressier.com/acs/SciMtng_ACSNMSp2020_FAQ_M3120_Final.pdf)

ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.