Preparation for hapten help by glucan, muramyl dipeptide, and its L-ala-Glycerol-mycolate derivative.

Previously, we reported that one of the factors that determines whether or not an animal will be prepared for hapten help after priming is the type of adjuvant used. The present work was undertaken, therefore, to determine which of a diverse variety of adjuvants or biological response modifiers would be effective. They included Freund's complete (CFA) and incomplete (FICA) adjuvants, particulate glucan, muramyl dipeptide (MDP), and its L-ala-glycerol-mycolate derivative. Help by the azobenzenearsonate (ABA) hapten was measured as the augmentation of the anti-bovine gamma-globulin (BGG) plaque-forming cell (PFC) response to ABA-BGG of mice that had been hapten-primed with ABA conjugated to ovalbumin (OVA). The results showed that FICA was ineffective. MDP was effective but only if administered with FICA during hapten-priming. MDP-L-ala-glycerol-mycolate was effective without any adjuvant but only within a narrow dose range. Particulate glucan was as effective as CFA in preparing mice for hapten help. As the macrophage is the primary cellular target of those biological response modifiers that were effective, we conclude that it plays an important role in the cellular interaction involved in the mediation of hapten help.