Introduction: Toxocara canis is a significant zoonotic parasite that remains inadequately controlled. This study utilized a range of immunoinformatics methodologies to develop a candidate multi-epitope mRNA vaccine against T. canis. Materials & Methods: From a total of 39,233 proteins catalogued in the NCBI database for T. canis, eleven highly antigenic proteins were carefully selected using various software and server tools, and their epitopes were identified through advanced immunoinformatics techniques. Then, the selected epitopes underwent thorough evaluation for their biological characteristics and homology. Furthermore, the presentation of these epitopes by MHC cells and other immune cells was analysed using molecular docking approaches. A multi-epitope protein was subsequently modelled and improved, followed by an extensive structural and stability analysis of the vaccine candidate. The immune response triggered by this innovative vaccine was simulated and analysed. Results: The findings demonstrated that the developed vaccine possessed antigenic characteristics, was basic in nature, and showed no toxicity or allergenic potential. Notably, the identified epitopes were localised within the antigen-binding sites of their corresponding MHC alleles. The immune simulation revealed elevated levels of immunoglobulins, T helper cells, cytotoxic T cells, and activated natural killer (NK) cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells, along with significant cytokine production. Additionally, molecular dynamics simulations revealed strong and stable interactions with Toll-like receptors, specifically TLR2, TLR3, and TLR4. Conclusion: Computational immune simulation studies demonstrated a notable increase in immune reactivity towards the developed vaccine. Given these results, the proposed vaccine candidate shows strong potential and is ready for additional evaluation as an innovative mRNA-based therapeutic approach to combat toxocariasis.
