Serum amyloid P component induction by immunomodulators.

The capacity of immunoadjuvants to enhance serum amyloid P component (SAP) levels and to modulate the humoral immune response to sheep red blood cells in a number of different mouse strains was investigated. Although the synthetic adjuvants dimethyldioctadecylammonium bromide, dextran sulphate and bacterial-derived lipopolysaccharide did not enhance SAP levels in some of the mouse strains tested, these strains responded normally to the immunomodulating effects of the adjuvants. We conclude that increased SAP levels and modulation of immune responses are induced via at least partially different pathways. For these reasons, it is impossible to screen drugs for potential adjuvant activity by only measuring SAP levels in mice.