title: Alum adjuvant: some of the tricks of the oldest adjuvant.
abstract: Alum has been the most widely used adjuvant for over 80 years. Although there have been searches for alternative adjuvants, aluminium-containing adjuvants will continue to be used for many years due to their good track record of safety, low cost and adjuvanticity with a variety of antigens. For infections that can be prevented by induction of serum antibodies, aluminium-containing adjuvants formulated under optimal conditions are the adjuvants of choice. There are also some limitations of aluminium-containing adjuvants, which include local reactions, augmentation of IgE antibody responses, ineffectiveness for some antigens and inability to augment cell-mediated immune responses, especially cytotoxic T-cell responses. In this review, we describe the current knowledge regarding the mechanisms (both cellular and molecular) by which alum employs its adjuvant effect, although the final mechanism is not yet well-defined. Furthermore, we discuss how alum's adjuvanticity could be improved.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.|Laboratory of Immunoregulation and Mucosal Immunology, University Hospital Ghent, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Mirjam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kool
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immunoregulation and Mucosal Immunology, University Hospital Ghent, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Kaat
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fierens
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.|Laboratory of Immunoregulation and Mucosal Immunology, University Hospital Ghent, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Bart N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Lambrecht
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000534:Alum Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000534:Alum Compounds; C041524:aluminum sulfate