Liposome oligomannose‐coated with neoglycolipid, a new candidate for a safe adjuvant for induction of CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes

Abstract

The cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response has recently been shown to play a role in protection against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and it is therefore thought that a vaccine against HIV must be able to elicit a CTL response. The development of a safe, effective adjuvant is very important because alum, the only adjuvant available for use in humans at present, can barely induce a response of this type. We demonstrate here that liposomes that contain an immunodominant peptide (15 amino acids) of the envelope glycoprotein gp120 of HIV‐1 and that are coated with mannopentaose‐dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine conjugate induce a major histocompatibility complex class I‐restricted CD8⁺ CTL response in mice with a single subcutaneous immunization, whereas non‐coated liposomes do not. Since no damage to the skin at the injection site was caused by the liposomes, and since the oligomannose‐coated liposomes consist of innocuous materials ubiquitously distributed throughout the human body, they may be highly suitable for use as a safe adjuvant in vaccines inducing a CTL response against HIV.