title: Adhesion-mediated enhancement of the adjuvant activity of alum.
abstract: Alum, the only adjuvant currently licensed for use in humans, fails to adsorb influenza virus haemagglutinin (BHA) and is a poor adjuvant for this antigen. A specific monoclonal anti-BHA antibody adsorbed to alum promoted adhesion of the antigen to the adjuvant. The 'alum-anti-BHA-BHA' complex was found to be 1500-fold more immunogenic in mice and 5-fold more immunogenic in rabbits than a mixture of alum and BHA lacking the anti-BHA antibody. The biotin-binding protein, avidin, also mediated adsorption of biotinylated BHA to alum, and enhanced its immunogenicity to a comparable extent. These results indicate that the adjuvant activity of alum can be markedly enhanced by promoting a physical association between the antigen and the adjuvant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Skea
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Barber
mesh_terms: D000268:Adhesiveness; D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000534:Alum Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D017607:Aluminum Compounds / Q000276:immunology; D000536:Aluminum Hydroxide / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus; D006389:Hemagglutinins, Viral / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D010710:Phosphates / Q000276:immunology; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000534:Alum Compounds; D017607:Aluminum Compounds; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus; D006389:Hemagglutinins, Viral; D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D010710:Phosphates; C041524:aluminum sulfate; D000536:Aluminum Hydroxide; C012714:aluminum phosphate