title: Adjuvant activity of purified peptidoglycan of Listeria monocytogenes in mice and guinea pigs.
abstract: The immunological properties of peptidoglycan (L-PG) purified from the cell wall skeleton (L-CWS) of Listeria monocytogenes strain EGD were investigated and compared with the properties of L-CWS. L-PG consisted of alanine, glutamic acid, alpha, epsilon-diaminopimelic acid, muramic acid, and glucosamine. L-PG showed potent adjuvant activities for circulating antibody formation and development of delayed-type hypersensitivity to bacterial alpha-amylase in vivo and for the primary immune response to sheep erythrocytes in vitro, as well as L-CWS. Both L-PG and L-CWS enhanced the generation of cell-mediated cytotoxicity in allogeneic mice and activated thioglycolate-elicited peritoneal macrophages and macrophage cell line RAW 264 to kill tumor target cells in vitro. We also found that L-PG acted on normal spleen cells as a mitogen. Both L-PG and L-CWS had tumor (Meth A)-suppressive and -regressive activities in syngeneic mice. Our results suggest that the L-PG moiety retains the adjuvant and antitumor activities of L-CWS.
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000276:immunology; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D010457:Peptidoglycan / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012513:Sarcoma, Experimental / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D010457:Peptidoglycan