Effects of immunological adjuvants on the mouse complement system. I. The inability of the polyanion heparin to act as an adjuvant is paralleled by inefficient alternative complement pathway inhibition

Abstract

Interference with hemolytic complement activity by polyanionic substances was studied in relation to the ability of these compounds to act as an adjuvant for a dead listeria vaccine. Heparin appeared a poor inhibitor of the mouse alternative pathway not only in contrast to its effects on the mouse classical and the human classical and alternative pathways, but also when compared to two polyanions with known adjuvant activity: dextran sulfate and suramin. For the three polyanions mentioned a correlation between adjuvant activity and mouse alternative pathway inhibition was observed. These findings suggest a possible causal relationship between interference with alternative complement pathway activation and adjuvant activity.