title: Anti-complementary amines are immunological adjuvants in mice.
abstract: Complement (C) inactivation by ammonia, ethylenediamine and methylamine in mouse serum was studied in relation to a possible adjuvant effect of the substances in a cell-mediated immune response. The amines caused a dose-dependent depletion of both alternative pathway (AP) and overall C activity in vitro and showed also pronounced adjuvant effects in the delayed type hypersensitivity response of mice to SRBC. A significant correlation between momentary inhibition of AP activity and adjuvanticity was observed (r = 0.9995; P approximately 0.02), suggesting a causative relationship between these two phenomena. Both effects seem to be a direct function of the number of amino-groups per molecule. Since, on the other hand, lysosomotropic activity of amines is known to decrease with the number of amino-residues, our findings exclude an important role of direct phagocyte inhibition in the immuno-adjuvanticity of these compounds. A longer persistence and improved presentation of antigen as indirect result of local C-depletion could account for the immunological adjuvant effects of amines.
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000588:Amines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000641:Ammonia / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D003169:Complement Inactivator Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D005029:Ethylenediamines / Q000494:pharmacology; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008744:Methylamines / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D012756:Sheep
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000588:Amines; D003169:Complement Inactivator Proteins; D005029:Ethylenediamines; D008744:Methylamines; C031234:ethylenediamine; D000641:Ammonia; D003165:Complement System Proteins; C027451:methylamine