title: Adjuvant activity of chitin derivatives in mice and guinea-pigs.
abstract: Adjuvant activity of chitin derivatives was examined in guinea-pigs and mice. Among derivatives of chitin tested, 30 and 70% deacetylated chitin (DAC-30 and DAC-70), were active as adjuvants for the circulating-antibody formation to bacterial alpha-amylase and for the induction of delayed-type hypersensitivity to azobenzenearsonate-N-acetyl-L-tyrosine. DAC-70 enhanced the helper T cell function, the generation of alloreactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes, and the activity of natural killer cells in mice, however, it was inactive as mitogen. Other derivatives of chitin showed weaker or no adjuvant activity compared with DAC-70. Carboxymethyl-, hydroxyethyl and dihydroxypropyl-chitin showed weak mitogenic activities on normal spleen cells.
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D002460:Cell Line; D002686:Chitin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000276:immunology*; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000276:immunology; D012515:Mast-Cell Sarcoma / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D013045:Species Specificity; D000516:alpha-Amylases / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D002686:Chitin; D000516:alpha-Amylases