Antibody adjuvant

Grandia, A.A., Devisser, H., Vanembden, J.D.A., Vanderzee, R., Vanderberg, W.B., Hazenberg, M.P. (1991). Natural antibodies to 65 kD mycobacterial heat shock protein in rats do not correlate with susceptibility for mycobacterium-tuberculosis induced adjuvant arthritis. Immunobiology 182, 127-134. 

A human contraceptive vaccine based on lactide polymers is currently being developed. The antigen is a 37-amino-acid peptide of B-HCG conjugated to diphtheria toxoid. The antigen is administered wtih microencapsulated muramyl dipeptide as an adjuvant. Studies in rabbits have shown 9-12 months of elevated antibody liter following... 

Allison, A. C., and Byars, N. E. (1986). An adjuvant formulation that selectively elicits the formation of antibodies of protective isotypes and of cell-mediated immunity, J. Immunol. Meth.. 95. 157-168. 

Polyclonal Antibodies against FORL r purified polygalacturonase were raised in white rabbits. For the first immunization 200 jxg of purified protein in 300 jxl of distilled water was mixed with 200 1 of PBS and 500 n of complete Freund s adjuvcmt and injected intramusculary into the leg. Two subsequent intramuscular injections, each containing 300 fig of protein in 1 ml of incomplete Freund s adjuvant were given at 1 month intervals. Finally, the rabbit was bled 1 week later. The antisera, separated from blood by incubation at 37 "C, were stored in 1 ml fractions at -20 C. 

Two goats were immunized three times during the first 2 weeks with 1 mg of the antigen emulsified in 1 ml of Freund s complete adjuvant at several subcutaneous sites near regional lymph centers. Booster injections of 3 mg of antigen were administered at monthly intervals. The animals were bled 7 days after each boost. After several months of immunization, the titer and affinity of the antibody response was judged sufficient for use. 

Barnes DA, Tse J, Kaufhold M, et al. Polyclonal antibody directed against human RANTES ameliorates disease in the Lewis rat adjuvant-induced arthritis model. J Clin Invest 1998 101(12) 2910-2919. 

These results show that the covalently crosslinked Adjuvax formulations were superior to the physically entrapped Adjuvax formulations. In addition, the Adjuvax crosslinked formulations were as effective in stimulating antibody titers as Freund s Adjuvant. Furthermore, animals immunized with Adjuvax did not experience local inflammatory reactions or granuloma formation which was observed with all CFA/IFA immunized animals. 

Figure 4. Comparison of Freund s Adjuvant to Adjuvax formulations in stimulating antibody response to P55 oligopeptide antigen. Relative antibody titers between adjuvant groups at day 27 were determined by measuring the absorbance at 450 nm of a 1 500 dilution of anti-P55 immune sera by ELISA.

Vaccination to induce an adaptive immune response is expected for a broad range of infectious diseases and cancers. Traditional vaccines are mainly composed of live attenuated viruses, whole inactivated pathogens, or inactivated bacterial toxins. In general, these approaches have been successful for developing vaccines that can induce an immune response based on antigen-specific antibody and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses, which kill host cells infected with intracellular organisms (Fig. 1) [1,2], One of the most important current issues in vaccinology is the need for new adjuvants (immunostimulants) and delivery systems. Many of the vaccines currently in development are based on purified subunits, recombinant... 

A corollary to the use of cBSA as a carrier protein is that its increased immune response often abrogates the use of complete Freund s adjuvant, which is a source of concern because of its potential side-effects in animals. A relatively innocuous mixture with alum is usually all that is required as adjuvant to result in good antibody production. 

One particularly novel carrier was reported to consist of 50-70 nm colloidal gold particles of the type often used in cytochemical labeling techniques for microscopy (Pow and Crook, 1993) (Chapter 24). Adsorption of peptide antigens onto gold and subsequent injection of the complex into rabbits in an adjuvant mixture resulted in rapid production of antibody of extremely high titer. The resultant antibodies could be used in immunocytochemistry at dilutions from l-in-250,000 down to l-in-1,000,000, which is orders-of-magnitude beyond the dilutions typically used with lower-titer antibodies. 

Few substances have had a greater positive impact upon human healthcare management than antibodies, vaccines and adjuvants. For most of this century, these immunological agents have enjoyed widespread medical application, predominantly for the treatment/prevention of infectious diseases. As a group, they are often referred to as biologies (Chapter 1). 

Polyclonal antibody preparations have been used to induce passive immunity against a range of foreign (harmful) agents, and vaccines are used efficiently, and safely, to promote active immunization. Adjuvants are usually co-administered with the vaccine preparation, in order to enhance the immune response against the vaccine. 

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