International Journal of Clinical Case Reports 2024, Vol.14, No.3, 132-143 http://medscipublisher.com/index.php/ijccr 134 Figure 1 Organ-specific Expression of Tumor-associated Antigens (TAAs) in Different Cancers (Adopted from Hirayama and Nishimura, 2016) Image caption: The gene were investigated using a genome-wide cDNA microarray analysis. These expression profiles of both various tumor tissues and normal tissues data enable us to identify novel TAAs frequently over-expressed in various malignant tumors and have the characteristics of CTAs or OFAs as ideal targets for cancer immunotherapy (Adopted from Hirayama and Nishimura, 2016) 3 Mechanisms of Action of Peptide-Based Vaccines in Oral Cancer 3.1 Immunological basis Peptide-based vaccines for oral cancer are designed to stimulate the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells. These vaccines typically target tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) or tumor-specific antigens (TSAs) that are presented on the surface of cancer cells. The immune response is primarily mediated by T cells, particularly CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and CD4+helper T cells. Upon vaccination, peptides are processed and presented by antigen-presenting cells (APCs) on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. This presentation activates T cells, which then proliferate and differentiate into effector cells capable of targeting and killing cancer cells expressing the same antigens (Bezu et al., 2018;Tardón et al., 2019; Buonaguro and Tagliamonte, 2023). The immunological basis of peptide vaccines also involves the use of adjuvants to enhance the immune response. Adjuvants are substances that boost the body's immune response to the vaccine. They can help to increase the immunogenicity of the peptides, ensuring a more robust and sustained immune response. Common adjuvants include aluminum salts, oil emulsions, and newer formulations such as liposomes and nanoparticles (He et al., 2018; Zamani et al., 2020). 3.2 Peptide design and selection The design and selection of peptides for cancer vaccines are critical for their efficacy. Peptides are chosen based on their ability to bind to MHC molecules and be recognized by T cells (Lazoura et al., 2005). The selection process involves identifying epitopes from TAAs or TSAs that are highly expressed in oral cancer cells. These epitopes must be capable of eliciting a strong immune response without causing autoimmunity (Stephens et al., 2021; Abd-Aziz and Poh, 2022). Recent advancements in peptide design include the use of synthetic long peptides (SLPs) and multi-epitope peptides. SLPs contain multiple epitopes that can be processed by APCs to generate a broader immune response. Multi-epitope peptides combine several epitopes from different antigens, increasing the likelihood of generating a robust and diverse T cell response. Personalized peptide vaccines, which are tailored to the unique antigenic profile of an individual's tumor, are also being explored to enhance the specificity and efficacy of the immune response (Bezu et al., 2018; Liu et al., 2021).
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ4ODYzNQ==