Humoral immune responses in mice using gamma inulin preparations as adjuvants for hepatitis B vaccines.

Abstract

There is an urgent need for new, powerful adjuvants suitable for use with sub-unit and peptide vaccines in humans. We have measured the humoral immune response in BALB/c mice to vaccine formulations using recombinant HBsAg antigens, and gamma inulin and alum adjuvants. Using Merck, Sharpe & Dohme (MSD) HBsAg at 10 micrograms/mL, high levels of anti-HBs were generated and geometric mean S/N ratios of 88, 133 and 107 were obtained for alum absorbed vaccine, gamma inulin, and a mixture of the two adjuvants, respectively. A dilution series produced ED50 values of 0.08, 0.15 and 0.22 micrograms/mL respectively. In a second series of experiments comparing alum and algamulin (a complex of gamma inu..