Adjuvant

Successful vaccines contain two essential immunological components: a protective antigen and an adjuvant. Adjuvants are essential for optimal antigen-specific immune responses, the so-called ‘immunogenicity’, but are often a cause of reactogenicity (even toxicity) that results in local and systemic inflammation. Therefore, to ensure vaccine efficacy and safety, it is critical to understand the molecular and cellular mechanism(s) by which adjuvants provoke the immune system. Two papers in this issue of Nature Immunology, from Li et al. In the lymph nodes (LNs), modified RNA sensed by MDA-5 results in the production of type I interferons (IFNs). Type I interferons induce antigen-specific CD8 + T cell responses. LNPs can activate innate immune responses in lymph nodes and elicit production of IL-6 that is essential for the induction of T FH cells and GC B cells. These pathways are important for the immunogenicity of LNP-mRNA vaccines. When the mRNA is unmodified and a specific ionizable lipid (such as SM-102) is contained in the LNP, the mRNA is recognized by TLR7 and/or TLR8 and the ionizable lipid is recognized by the NLRP3 inflammasome in monocytes. Inflammasome-induced members of the IL-1 family trigger further inflammatory cytokine production. IL-1Ra is also produced as a negative feedback loop to inhibit IL-1 signaling and reduce inflammation. Unmodified mRNA is also detected by RIG-I, which results in the production of type I interferons and thus interferes with antige...

The Function of Adjuvants Adjuvants in herbicide formulations and spray mixtures can help improve herbicide application and performance. Herbicide labels, which MUST be read and followed, are the most important source of information for adjuvant recommendations and cover diverse use situations and tank mixtures. Adjuvant recommendations are specific for each herbicide product as researched and developed by the herbicide manufacturers. Adjuvants include spreaders, stickers, wetting agents, penetrants, stabilizing agents, compatibility agents, buffering agents, antifoam agents, and others. 1 Adjuvants can be classified as activators and utility modifiers (or special purpose adjuvants): • Activators, such as surfactants, crop oil concentrates (COC), and nitrogen (N) are normally used to help improve the performance of herbicides by increasing herbicide retention or penetration into leaf surfaces, improving rain fastness, or to decrease photodegradation of herbicides. 2 • Utility modifiers, such as buffering, antifoam, and drift control agents, typically modify the characteristics of the spray solution and product compatibility. Labels MUST be followed since use of an herbicide product in a manner inconsistent with its labeling is a violation of federal law. Each herbicide product has adjuvant requirements that are specified on the herbicide label. The label provides guidance and adjuvant options to address tank mixtures, environmental conditions, or weed species characteristi...

What is an adjuvant? An adjuvant is a supplemental substance added to a spray mixture to enhance the performance and/or physical properties of the desired chemical. Using the correct adjuvant can have benefits such as reducing or eliminating spray application problems, which would improve the overall efficacy of the applied formulation. Since adjuvants do not have pesticidal properties in their own right, they are not required to be registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the distribution of adjuvants is rarely regulated by the states. However, it is important to remember that adjuvants have labels that should be followed to avoid problems. Formulation adjuvants and spray adjuvants Adjuvants can fall into two categories: formulation adjuvants and spray adjuvants. Formulation adjuvants are added to the pesticide by the manufacturer and are inert ingredients on the label of the pesticides you purchase. Spray adjuvants are separate products added to the pesticide by the applicator, according to label instructions. Before using any adjuvant products, please check the pesticide label first. Some labels have sections within the label for adjuvant use. Many pesticide labels have specific instructions on what type of adjuvant to use and how to use/mix it with the pesticide product. It is required to follow these instructions to be in compliance with the law. Although adjuvants do not have pesticidal properties, they are biologically active chemicals that c...

Vaccines containing novel adjuvant formulations are increasingly reaching advanced development and licensing stages, providing new tools to fill previously unmet clinical needs. However, many adjuvants fail during product development owing to factors such as manufacturability, stability, lack of effectiveness, unacceptable levels of tolerability or safety concerns. This Review outlines the potential benefits of adjuvants in current and future vaccines and describes the importance of formulation and mechanisms of action of adjuvants. Moreover, we emphasize safety considerations and other crucial aspects in the clinical development of effective adjuvants that will help facilitate effective next-generation vaccines against devastating infectious diseases. Adjuvants have proven to be key components in vaccines that are today taken for granted. Indeed, many vaccines, comprised of whole or killed bacteria or viruses, have inherent immune-potentiating activity. However, attempts to develop a new generation of adjuvants, which will be essential for new vaccines, have been hindered somewhat by perceived, but most often undocumented, health risks and public misinformation, rather than by verified safety issues. Nonetheless, it is essential that vaccine and adjuvant developers fully utilize information on adjuvants' modes of action, avoid using undefined components in adjuvant formulations and develop comprehensive data packages on the safety, tolerability and efficacy of adjuvanted ...

Fighting cancer typically involves more than one treatment. Most of the time, the disease requires a multidisciplinary approach, or a combination of therapies. Treatment plans often involve a primary therapy—generally “The word 'adjuvant' literally means helper or helping. It's essentially adding icing to the cake of the primary treatment.” - Issam Alawin, MD - Medical Oncologist at our hospital in Tulsa Neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies are Most often, neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies are recommended when a patient with early-stage cancer undergoes surgery or radiation therapy and the oncologist believes he or she may benefit from additional systemic treatments—or treatments that affect the entire body, Dr. Alawin says. “Let’s say a woman comes in with localized breast cancer, and the first-line treatment in this case is surgery, but to improve the chances that the surgery works as well as it can, we give chemotherapy three or four months before surgery, or three to four months after surgery,” he says. “Many times, there is a significant improvement in prognosis and a decreased risk of recurrence with doing either an adjuvant or neoadjuvant approach.” Neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies benefit many, but not all, cancer patients. The type and stage of a patient’s cancer often dictate whether he or she is a candidate for additional treatment. For example, if surgery determines that cancer is found in a large number of lymph nodes, the risk rises that cancer cells may be ...

Table of Contents • • • • • • • Functions of Adjuvants The precise mechanism of action of adjuvants is not entirely known but it is postulated that adjuvants exert one or more of the following effects to augment immune response; • Prolongs antigen persistence • Enhance co-stimulatory signals • Increases local inflammation and formation of granuloma • Stimulate nonspecific proliferation of lymphocytes • Stimulate Toll-like receptors on the surface of macrophages. This results in cytokine production (such as IL-12) that enhances the response of T cells and B cells to the immunogen. Timeline of Adjuvant Used in Human Vaccines Types of Adjuvants Several different adjuvants are now available and have been used safely in vaccines. Some of the commonly used adjuvants are as follows; • Aluminum • Freund’s incomplete adjuvant • Freund’s complete adjuvant • Mycobacterium tuberculosis • Bordetella pertusis • Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) • Synthetic polynucleotides (poly IC/poly AU) • Other adjuvants For example, aluminum salts and Freund’s adjuvants stimulate a local chronic inflammatory response that attracts both phagocytes and lymphocytes. This infiltration of cells at the site of injection results in the formation of a dense, macrophage-rich mass of cells called a granuloma. The formation of granuloma enhances the activation of TH cells. Aluminum Aluminum salts such as aluminum potassium sulfate (alum), aluminum phosphate, aluminum hydroxide, and aluminum hydroxyphosphate s...