An oral cholera vaccine in the prevention and/or treatment of inflammatory bowel disease

The oral cholera vaccine WC-rBS consists of 4 different inactivated strains of Vibrio cholerae (LPS source) admixed with recombinant cholera toxin B subunit. Because of its unique composition and anti-inflammatory properties reported for both CTB and low doses of LPS from other Gram-negative bacteria, we speculated that WC-rBS might have anti-inflammatory potential in a chronic autoimmune disease such as inflammatory bowel diseases. First in vitro endotoxin tolerance experiments showed the surprising WC-rBS potential in the modulation of inflammatory responses on both PBMCs and THP1 cells. WC-rBS was further evaluated in the Dextran Sodium Sulfate colitis mouse model. Administrated orally at different dosages, WC-rBS vaccine was safe and showed immunomodulatory properties when administered in a preventive mode (before and during the induction of DSS colitis) as well as in a curative mode (after colitis induction); with improvement of disease activity index (from 27 to 73%) and histological score (from 65 to 88%). Interestingly, the highest therapeutic effect of WC-rBS vaccine was observed with the lowest dosage, showing even better anti-inflammatory properties than mesalamine; an approved 5-aminosalicylic acid drug for treating IBD patients. In summary, this is the first time that a prophylactic medicine, safe and approved for prevention of an infectious disease, showed a benefit in an inflammatory bowel disease model, potentially offering a novel therapeutic modality for IBD patients.