Edible vaccines MCQs With Answer are an emerging topic for B. Pharm students exploring plant-based vaccine platforms, antigen expression systems, and oral immunization strategies. This introduction covers core concepts such as transgenic plants, chloroplast vs nuclear expression, mucosal immunity, bioencapsulation, antigen stability, dosing challenges, regulatory and biosafety issues, and examples like CTB- and HBsAg-expressing crops. Understanding molecular techniques (agroinfiltration, viral vectors), post‑translational modifications, and strategies to avoid oral tolerance is essential for pharmaceutical development and translation. This keyword-rich overview will prepare you for applied questions on formulation, immunology, production, and quality control. ‘Now let’s test your knowledge with 30 MCQs on this topic.’
Q1. What is the primary concept behind edible vaccines?
- Injecting purified antigens into plants
- Expressing antigenic proteins in edible plant tissues for oral delivery
- Using plant extracts as adjuvants for parenteral vaccines
- Feeding animals with live attenuated human viruses
Correct Answer: Expressing antigenic proteins in edible plant tissues for oral delivery
Q2. Which immune response is most directly stimulated by oral edible vaccines?
- Systemic IgG only
- Cell-mediated immunity exclusively
- Mucosal IgA and systemic responses
- Complement activation without antibody production
Correct Answer: Mucosal IgA and systemic responses
Q3. Which plant organ is preferred for long-term antigen storage due to low water content and natural encapsulation?
- Leaf tissue
- Fruit pulp
- Seeds and grains
- Root tubers
Correct Answer: Seeds and grains
Q4. Which antigen has been commonly studied in edible vaccine research as a model for mucosal immunization?
- Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)
- Poliovirus VP1 only
- Influenza neuraminidase only
- Rabies glycoprotein exclusively
Correct Answer: Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)
Q5. Which plant transformation method targets high-level expression in chloroplasts and can provide maternal inheritance to reduce transgene escape?
- Agrobacterium-mediated nuclear transformation
- Chloroplast transformation via particle bombardment
- Transient viral expression only
- Electroporation of leaf protoplasts for nuclear insertion
Correct Answer: Chloroplast transformation via particle bombardment
Q6. Which advantage is commonly cited for edible vaccines compared with conventional injectable vaccines?
- Precise dosing is easier
- No need for cold chain and trained personnel for administration
- Guaranteed absence of oral tolerance
- Faster regulatory approval
Correct Answer: No need for cold chain and trained personnel for administration
Q7. Which challenge is most associated with edible vaccines concerning immunogenicity control?
- Overexpression causing hyperimmunity
- Dosing variability and risk of oral tolerance
- Excessive antibody subclass switching to IgE only
- Inability to express any protein in plants
Correct Answer: Dosing variability and risk of oral tolerance
Q8. What is “bioencapsulation” in the context of edible vaccines?
- Encapsulating plant cells in synthetic polymers
- Natural protection of antigens within plant cell walls and organelles
- Packaging antigens into liposomes from plant oils
- Encapsulating seeds in wax coatings before distribution
Correct Answer: Natural protection of antigens within plant cell walls and organelles
Q9. Which molecular strategy can increase antigen accumulation and stability in the endoplasmic reticulum of plant cells?
- Adding a chloroplast transit peptide
- Fusion with an ER retention signal like KDEL
- Targeting to the vacuole without retention signals
- Co-expression with proteases
Correct Answer: Fusion with an ER retention signal like KDEL
Q10. Which plant species has been widely used in early edible vaccine research due to ease of transformation and edible nature?
- Arabidopsis thaliana exclusively
- Tomato and potato
- Coniferous trees
- Cotton plant
Correct Answer: Tomato and potato
Q11. Which of the following is a benefit of chloroplast expression systems for edible vaccines?
- Chloroplasts perform complex mammalian glycosylation
- High-level expression and reduced gene silencing
- Guaranteed secretion into fruit pulp
- Easy transfer of chloroplast genes by pollen
Correct Answer: High-level expression and reduced gene silencing
Q12. Why is oral tolerance a concern for edible vaccines?
- Because oral delivery always causes allergy
- Repeated oral antigen exposure can induce immune unresponsiveness instead of protective immunity
- Oral tolerance increases antigen stability
- It enhances systemic immune responses uncontrollably
Correct Answer: Repeated oral antigen exposure can induce immune unresponsiveness instead of protective immunity
Q13. Which adjuvant strategy is often considered for enhancing mucosal responses to edible vaccines?
- Systemic alum injection only
- Mucosal adjuvants like cholera toxin B subunit (CTB)
- Topical application of oil-based adjuvants
- Heat inactivation of plant cells
Correct Answer: Mucosal adjuvants like cholera toxin B subunit (CTB)
Q14. What regulatory concern uniquely affects edible vaccine crops compared to conventional vaccines?
- Ensuring aseptic injectable formulation
- Preventing transgene flow to food supply and environment
- Measuring endotoxin levels only
- Sterility of lyophilized powder exclusively
Correct Answer: Preventing transgene flow to food supply and environment
Q15. Which analytical method is commonly used to quantify antigen expression levels in transgenic plant tissues?
- High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for DNA
- ELISA for protein quantification
- Southern blot for protein expression
- Gas chromatography for peptide sequencing
Correct Answer: ELISA for protein quantification
Q16. Which post-translational modification in plants may affect antigen function compared with mammalian-produced proteins?
- Identical mammalian N‑glycosylation patterns
- Plant-specific glycosylation patterns (e.g., xylose/fucose residues)
- No possibility of disulfide bond formation
- Exclusive phosphorylation at mammalian sites
Correct Answer: Plant-specific glycosylation patterns (e.g., xylose/fucose residues)
Q17. Which example represents a strategy to minimize environmental risk of edible vaccine crops?
- Growing transgenic crops in open fields without containment
- Using non-food crops or contained greenhouses and maternal inheritance traits
- Deliberately cross-breeding with wild relatives
- Releasing seeds to local farmers without tracking
Correct Answer: Using non-food crops or contained greenhouses and maternal inheritance traits
Q18. Transient expression systems (e.g., agroinfiltration or viral vectors) are often used because they:
- Require stable transgenic lines for expression
- Provide rapid, high-level antigen expression without stable integration
- Always produce glycosylated proteins identical to humans
- Are only suitable for seed-specific expression
Correct Answer: Provide rapid, high-level antigen expression without stable integration
Q19. In clinical translation, one key quality control parameter for edible vaccines is:
- Consistent antigen dose per edible unit
- Variable antigen levels to test dose range
- No need for potency assays
- Only genomic tests for transgene presence
Correct Answer: Consistent antigen dose per edible unit
Q20. Which edible vaccine candidate was studied using transgenic potatoes in early human trials?
- Influenza hemagglutinin
- Hepatitis B surface antigen
- Cholera toxin B subunit for cholera
- Tetanus toxoid
Correct Answer: Cholera toxin B subunit for cholera
Q21. Which technique helps target antigen accumulation to seeds for enhanced stability and storage?
- Using a fruit-specific promoter only
- Seed-specific promoters and storage protein fusion partners
- Delivering antigen to leaves via foliar spray
- Promoting constitutive expression in all tissues without targeting
Correct Answer: Seed-specific promoters and storage protein fusion partners
Q22. What is a major social challenge for edible vaccines besides scientific hurdles?
- High manufacturing costs compared with conventional vaccines
- Public acceptance and perception of genetically modified foods
- Lack of oral delivery routes in public health
- Absence of supply chain benefits
Correct Answer: Public acceptance and perception of genetically modified foods
Q23. How can plant-derived vaccine antigens be made more immunogenic when administered orally?
- Reducing antigen dose to sub-immunogenic levels
- Fusion to mucosal targeting or adjuvant molecules such as CTB
- Removing all glycosylation sites
- Administering only after parenteral priming always
Correct Answer: Fusion to mucosal targeting or adjuvant molecules such as CTB
Q24. Which downstream processing approach may be necessary for quality control of edible vaccines destined for human use?
- No testing is required for plant-made antigens
- Standardized extraction, purification, and potency assays
- Only DNA sequencing of the host plant
- Packaging whole plants without any testing
Correct Answer: Standardized extraction, purification, and potency assays
Q25. Which factor most affects antigen stability during cooking or processing of edible vaccine crops?
- pH only
- Heat sensitivity and proteolytic degradation during processing
- Sunlight exposure alone
- Soil type where plant was grown
Correct Answer: Heat sensitivity and proteolytic degradation during processing
Q26. What role does glycoengineering play in plant-based vaccine production?
- It prevents any protein folding in plants
- Modifies plant glycosylation pathways to more human-like patterns to improve efficacy and reduce immunogenicity
- Makes antigens entirely unglycosylated
- Only affects nucleic acid vaccines
Correct Answer: Modifies plant glycosylation pathways to more human-like patterns to improve efficacy and reduce immunogenicity
Q27. Which biosafety containment practice is recommended for field trials of edible vaccine crops?
- Open planting near food crops
- Geographical and physical isolation, buffer zones, and controlled harvest
- Encouraging cross-pollination with wild species
- Distributing seeds to the public during trials
Correct Answer: Geographical and physical isolation, buffer zones, and controlled harvest
Q28. A major advantage of using fruits like tomatoes for edible vaccines is:
- They are always heat-stable
- Ease of raw consumption and potential for mucosal delivery
- Guaranteed consistent antigen per fruit
- No need to consider ripening effects on antigen
Correct Answer: Ease of raw consumption and potential for mucosal delivery
Q29. Which immunological assay would you use to measure mucosal IgA response after administration of an edible vaccine?
- Urine culture
- Secretory IgA ELISA on saliva or fecal extracts
- Complete blood count
- Western blot only for DNA
Correct Answer: Secretory IgA ELISA on saliva or fecal extracts
Q30. For successful commercialization of edible vaccines, which interdisciplinary considerations are most critical?
- Only molecular biology techniques
- Integration of molecular design, agronomy, regulatory compliance, public acceptance, and quality control
- Focusing exclusively on lowering plant growth time
- Ignoring regulatory pathways to speed up release
Correct Answer: Integration of molecular design, agronomy, regulatory compliance, public acceptance, and quality control
I am a Registered Pharmacist under the Pharmacy Act, 1948, and the founder of PharmacyFreak.com. I hold a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Rungta College of Pharmaceutical Science and Research. With a strong academic foundation and practical knowledge, I am committed to providing accurate, easy-to-understand content to support pharmacy students and professionals. My aim is to make complex pharmaceutical concepts accessible and useful for real-world application.
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