Liposomes as immunological adjuvants in eliciting antibodies specific to the synthetic polypeptide poly(LTyr, LGlu)‐poly(DLAla)–poly(LLys) with high frequency of site‐associated idiotypic determinants

The antibody response to the synthetic polypeptide, poly(LTyr, LGlu)‐poly(DLAla)–poly(LLys), [(T, G)‐A–L], injected entrapped in liposomes which served as adjuvant, has been analyzed. The liposomes used were composed of phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol, dicetylphosphate and DL α‐tocopherol (molar ratios as 4:3:0.1:0.5) and therefore, were negatively charged. Since the (T, G)‐A–L is also negatively charged, no free complexes were formed. The (T, G)‐A–L was found to be entrapped inside the enclosed volume of the liposomes, and no (T, G)‐A–L antigenic determinants could be detected on the liposomal membranes. Injection of high‐responder C3H.SW (H‐2b) mice with (T, G)‐A–L‐bearing liposomes demonstrated that the i.p. and the i.v. routes of immunization were efficient in eliciting (T, G)‐A–L‐specific antibodies, whereas the i.d. injection led to poor antibody responses. The latter route of immunization is the most effective when (T, G)‐A–L is injected in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). When low doses (0.1 and 1 μg) of (T, G)‐A–L were used for immunization, the liposomes were better adjuvants than CFA. The effectiveness of the liposomes as immunological adjuvants was also shown in their ability to induce high‐potential, primed memory cells. The pattern of low (H‐2k, a) and high (H‐2b) responsiveness to (T, G)‐A–L was retained following immunization with (T, G)‐A–L entrapped in liposomes, as tested in two pairs of congenic strains. (T, G)‐A–L‐specific antibodies induced by injection with 1μ antigen entrapped in liposomes bear the (T, G)‐A–L site‐related idiotypic markers of C3H.SW (Igh‐1a) mice in a significantly higher frequency than the homologous idiotypes, namely the antibodies elicited in this strain against (T, G)‐A–L in CFA. Thus, liposomes may serve as adjuvants for the production of relatively restricted (T, G)‐A–L‐specific antibodies of high qualitiy.