Potential adjuvants for synthetic vaccines. I. Modulators of macrophage activation.

The synthesis and biological activities of several glycopeptidolipids derived from muramyl dipeptide (MDP) are described. In combination with gamma interferon (INF-gamma) MDP derivatives 3c and 3d carrying glycyrrhetinic acid as rigid beta-aglycone synergise the action of the lymphokine in the release of H2O2 by activated human macrophages, while MDP derivatives 3a and 6a carrying the more flexible diphytanyl glycerol beta-aglycone inhibit it.