Aluminum Hydroxide Adjuvant Up-Regulates Accessory Properties of Human Monocytes.(Brief Article)

2001 FEB 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) --

by Michelle Marble, staff medical writer -- How aluminum adjuvants affect the immune system was explored by researchers in Sweden.

"Aluminum adjuvants are widely used in human vaccines based on their ability to enhance antibody production," report Marina Ulanova and colleagues from Goteborg University. "However, the mechanisms underlying these effects remain unknown."

Ulanova et al. published their study in the journal Infection and Immunity, ("The common vaccine adjuvant aluminum hydroxide up-regulates accessory properties of human monocytes via an interleukin-4-dependent mechanism," Infect and Immun, February 2001;69(2):1151-1159).

"In the present study we assessed the direct in vitro effect of aluminum hydroxide on human peripheral blood monocytes, specifically with regard to its impact on the phenotype and functional properties of this cell population," the researchers said. "Our results revealed significant changes in the accessory properties of monocytes following short-term exposure of cultured cells to aluminum hydroxide."

The researchers evaluated the reaction of the cells to the adjuvant using flow cytometry analysis. Results showed an increase in the expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II, CD40, CD54, CD58, CD83, and CD86 molecules on the monocytes.

In addition, Ulanova et al. observed that many of the cells in the cultures containing aluminum hydroxide acquired typical dendritic morphology. There was an ...