Chapter 24
Lactic Acid Bacteria as Delivery Vehicle for Therapeutics
Applications
Viviane Lima Batista, Tales Fernando da Silva, Luis Cla ´ udio Lima
de Jesus, Ana Paula Tapia-Costa, Mariana Martins Drumond,
Vasco Azevedo, and Pamela Mancha-Agresti
Abstract
Lactic acid bacteria comprise a large group of Gram-positive organisms capable of converting sugar into
lactic acid. They have been studied due to their therapeutic potential on the mucosal surface. Among the
species, Lactococcus lactis is considered the model bacterium and it has been explored as an important
vehicle for providing therapeutic molecules and antigens in the mucosa. They can be genetically engineered
to produce a variety of molecules as well as deliver heterologous DNA and protein. DNA vaccines consist of
the administration of a bacterial plasmid under the control of a eukaryotic promoter encoding the antigen
of interest. The resulting proteins are capable of stimulating the immune system, becoming a promising
technique for immunization against a variety of tumors and infection diseases and having several advantages
compared to conventional nucleic acid delivery methods (such as bioballistic delivery, electroporation, and
intramuscular administration).
Key words Lactic acid bacteria, DNA vaccine, DNA delivery, Mucosal administration, Lactococcus
lactis
1 Introduction
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) comprises a large group of gram-positive
and nonsporulating microorganisms with fermentative properties,
having the capacity to convert sugar into lactic acid. The majority of
LAB have a “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) status according to the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA),
meeting the criteria to be considered safe for human
consumption [1].
LAB has been intensively studied due to their potential therapeutic effects on mucosal surfaces and can also be genetically engineered to efficiently produce a large variety of molecules either for
the delivery of DNA or heterologous proteins [2–5]. In this context, among the various species of LAB, Lactococcus lactis is
Blaine A. Pfeifer and Andrew Hill (eds.), Vaccine Delivery Technology: Methods and Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology,
vol. 2183, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0795-4_24, © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2021
447
Lactic Acid Bacteria as Delivery Vehicle for Therapeutics
Applications
Viviane Lima Batista, Tales Fernando da Silva, Luis Cla ´ udio Lima
de Jesus, Ana Paula Tapia-Costa, Mariana Martins Drumond,
Vasco Azevedo, and Pamela Mancha-Agresti
Abstract
Lactic acid bacteria comprise a large group of Gram-positive organisms capable of converting sugar into
lactic acid. They have been studied due to their therapeutic potential on the mucosal surface. Among the
species, Lactococcus lactis is considered the model bacterium and it has been explored as an important
vehicle for providing therapeutic molecules and antigens in the mucosa. They can be genetically engineered
to produce a variety of molecules as well as deliver heterologous DNA and protein. DNA vaccines consist of
the administration of a bacterial plasmid under the control of a eukaryotic promoter encoding the antigen
of interest. The resulting proteins are capable of stimulating the immune system, becoming a promising
technique for immunization against a variety of tumors and infection diseases and having several advantages
compared to conventional nucleic acid delivery methods (such as bioballistic delivery, electroporation, and
intramuscular administration).
Key words Lactic acid bacteria, DNA vaccine, DNA delivery, Mucosal administration, Lactococcus
lactis
1 Introduction
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) comprises a large group of gram-positive
and nonsporulating microorganisms with fermentative properties,
having the capacity to convert sugar into lactic acid. The majority of
LAB have a “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) status according to the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA),
meeting the criteria to be considered safe for human
consumption [1].
LAB has been intensively studied due to their potential therapeutic effects on mucosal surfaces and can also be genetically engineered to efficiently produce a large variety of molecules either for
the delivery of DNA or heterologous proteins [2–5]. In this context, among the various species of LAB, Lactococcus lactis is
Blaine A. Pfeifer and Andrew Hill (eds.), Vaccine Delivery Technology: Methods and Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology,
vol. 2183, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0795-4_24, © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2021
447