Figure 6. Immunization with peptide assemblies did not increase susceptibility to infection by Listeria monocytogenes.
Unimmunized mice and mice immunized with the indicated nanofiber formulations were challenged intraperitoneally with 1 × 105 Listeria colony-forming units (CFU). 48 hours later, CFU were counted in the spleen and liver. Mice injected with 500 µg of anti-TNF antibody 3h prior to intraperitoneal Listeria challenge had elevated Listeria CFU 48 hours later (a). Conversely, there were no significant differences in total CFU counts per organ between vaccinated mice, unvaccinated mice, and mice vaccinated with nanofibers lacking T-cell epitopes (b). n=5 for all groups, data points represent individual mice. Mean ± SD is shown. Statistical significance was tested using two-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparison test. ns: not significant, * p<0.05, ***p<0.001.