Immunstimulatory activity

In this chimeric peptide construct the aim was to combine the carrier function and immunstimulatory activity of tuftsin derivatives with an epitope derived from HSV gD to achieve an increased antibody response. Tuftsin is a well-known natural tetrapeptide (TKPR) that has a pronounced effect on the immune system (28,29). Polymerized tuftsin (polytuftsin) is also considered as a carrier molecule that increased antibody levels against attached epitopes in mice (30,31). New, sequential oligopeptides based on repeated tuftsin derivatives (H-[Thr-Lys-Pro-Lys-Gly]n-NH2, where n = 2,4,6,8) were developed in our laboratory to eliminate the drawbacks of tuftsin derivatives produced by polymerization. These new, nontoxic, nonimmunogenic compounds have immunostimulatory activity and a minor chemoattractant effect on monocytes (32). An oligotuftsin derivative was used in this study for the synthesis of a peptide chimera containing an HSV peptide epitope. 

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