CHITOSAN AS DELIVERY SYSTEM FOR HBcAg GENE EXPRESSION WITH pEGFP-C1 ON HELA CELLS
1 Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Diponegoro, Semarang 50275, Indonesia
2 Department of Reproduction and Obstetrics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia
3 Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia
* Corresponding Author
ORCID Details
Villa Sekar Cita: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1580-3917
Asmarani Kusumawati: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9828-4969
Yuli Purwandari Kristianingrum: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0245-7632
Research Article
Open Access Research Journal of Life Sciences, 2026, 12(01), 033–041
Article DOI: 10.53022/oarjls.2026.12.1.0028
Publication history:
Received on 04 July 2026; revised on 17 August 2026; accepted on 19 August 2026
Abstract:
Hepatitis B is a viral liver infection caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV), which may lead to chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Recombinant DNA technology offers a promising approach for developing innovative hepatitis B vaccines. In this approach, the gene encoding hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) can be introduced into Escherichia coli to produce recombinant antigenic proteins. These proteins then formulated with nanoparticles as vaccine delivery systems. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of chitosan nanoparticles as a delivery system for HBcAg VHB gene expression using pEGFP-C1 in HeLa cells as eukaryotic host cells. The methods used in this study included reculturing transformant bacteria obtained from previous research, isolating recombinant DNA plasmids, performing plasmid restriction analysis and PCR, sequencing, transfecting HeLa cell cultures, and observing EGFP-HBcAg protein expression through fluorescence microscopy. PCR analysis confirmed that the transformant E. coli DH5α successfully harbored the pEGFP-C1-HBcAg plasmid. Restriction analysis of the recombinant plasmid produced two distinct DNA bands, indicating successful plasmid digestion. Following transfection of HeLa cells, green fluorescence was observed in cells treated with chitosan nanoparticles, suggesting expression of the EGFP-HBcAg protein. These findings indicate that chitosan nanoparticles have potential as a delivery system for hepatitis B DNA vaccines using the pEGFP-C1 vector
Keywords:
chitosan, HeLa, Hepatitis, pEGFP-C1, Vaccine
Full text article in PDF:
Copyright information:
Copyright © 2026 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0