iNKT 细胞通常被称为免疫系统的“瑞士军刀”，已成为癌症疫苗疗法的核心角色。激活iNKT细胞的糖脂，例如α-半乳糖神经酰胺（αGalCer），可以增强针对共同传递的癌症抗原的免疫反应，并已应用于自我辅助抗肿瘤疫苗的设计。在此背景下，这项工作重点是神经节苷脂肿瘤相关碳水化合物抗原（TACA）的化学合成，即 GM3 和 (Neu5Gc)GM3 抗原，它们与 αGalCer 的缀合，以及它们配制到脂质体中作为其体内递送的有效平台。含有 GM3-αGalCer、(Neu5Gc)GM3-αGalCer 和等摩尔量的两种缀合物的脂质体已得到充分表征，并且它们激活 iNKT 细胞的能力已在小鼠和人类细胞测定中得到体外证实。这些候选药物在体内免疫研究中进行了测试，证明其能够诱导 TH1 和 TH2 细胞因子，从而产生 IgG 抗体的所有亚类。值得注意的是，该研究还表明，针对两种 TACA 的血清抗体（单独使用或联合使用）具有交叉反应性。这一发现对未来的疫苗设计产生了影响——即使选择了高度肿瘤选择性抗原，产生的抗体反应也可能比预期更广泛。该期刊版权所有©英国皇家化学学会。

iNKT cells - often referred as the "Swiss Army knife" of the immune system - have emerged as central players in cancer vaccine therapies. Glycolipids activating iNKT cells, such as α-galactosylceramide (αGalCer), can enhance the immune response against co-delivered cancer antigens and have been applied in the design of self-adjuvanting anti-tumor vaccines. In this context, this work focuses on the chemical synthesis of ganglioside tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens (TACAs), namely GM3 and (Neu5Gc)GM3 antigens, their conjugation to αGalCer, and their formulation into liposomes as an efficient platform for their in vivo delivery. Liposomes containing GM3-αGalCer, (Neu5Gc)GM3-αGalCer, and equimolar amounts of the two conjugates have been fully characterized and their ability to activate iNKT cell has been confirmed ex vivo in mouse and human cell assays. The candidates were tested in in vivo immunization studies, demonstrating an ability to induce both TH1 and TH2 cytokines leading to the production of all subclasses of IgG antibodies. Notably, the study also demonstrated that serum antibodies raised against the two TACAs, alone and in combination, were cross-reactive. This finding has consequences for future vaccine designs - even if a highly tumor-selective antigen is chosen, the resulting antibody response may be broader than anticipated.This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.