Abstract
Aluminum-containing adjuvants are an important component of many vaccines because they safely potentiate the immune response. The structure and properties of aluminum hydroxide adjuvant, aluminum phosphate adjuvant and alum-precipitated adjuvants are presented in this review. The major antigen adsorption mechanisms, electrostatic attraction and ligand exchange, are related to the adjuvant structure. The manner by which aluminum-containing adjuvants potentiate the immune response is related to the structure, properties of the adjuvant and adsorption mechanism. Immunopotentiation occurs through the following sequential steps: inflammation and recruitment of antigen-presenting cells, retention of antigen at the injection site, uptake of antigen, dendritic cell maturation, T-cell activation and T-cell differentiation.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.