Mucosal ACP subunit vaccine formulated with a small molecule STING agonist drives protective TH1/TH17 responses and serum bactericidal antibodies against Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Intranasal rACP plus diABZI accelerates Neisseria gonorrhoeae clearance in mice, and diABZI uniquely drives TH17 polarization alongside TH1 responses.

• Why it matters: Cyclic dinucleotide STING adjuvants have limitations, and it is unclear whether a non-nucleotide STING agonist can improve mucosal bacterial clearance and protective immunity.
• What they did: Mice received intranasal recombinant ACP with diABZI or rACP with rACP or CpG+MPLA; T cell polarization was assessed and peptide mapping localized epitopes to the ACP–lysozyme C interface.
• The result: rACP+diABZI increased human serum bactericidal activity, linked to clearance, and induced antibodies that reversed lysozyme C inhibition and blocked adhesion/invasion in 3D human vaginal/urethral mucosal models, while passive serum transfer did not protect.

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