Browse by author
Lookup NU author(s): Professor Robin Harris, Dr Andrei Soliakov, Professor Rick Lewis, Professor Jeremy LakeyORCiD
Full text for this publication is not currently held within this repository. Alternative links are provided below where available.
Aluminium-based vaccine adjuvants have been in use since the 1920s. Aluminium hydroxide (alum) that is the chemical basis of Alhydrogel, a widely used adjuvant, is a colloid that binds proteins to the particular surface for efficient presentation to the immune system during the vaccination process. Using conventional TEM and cryo-TEM we have shown that Alhydrogel can be finely dispersed by ultrasonication of the aqueous suspension. Clusters of ultrasonicated aluminium hydroxide micro-fibre crystals have been produced (similar to 10-100 nm), that are significantly smaller than those present the untreated Alhydrogel (similar to 2-12 mu m). However, even prolonged ultrasonication did not produce a homogenous suspension of single aluminium hydroxide micro-fibres. The TEM images of unstained and negatively stained air-dried Alhydrogel are very similar to those obtained by cryo-electron microscopy. Visualization of protein on the surface of the finely dispersed Alhydrogel by TEM is facilitated by prior ultrasonication. Several examples are given, including some of medical relevance, using proteins of widely ranging molecular mass and oligomerization state. Even with the smaller mass proteins, their presence on the Alhydrogel surface can be readily defined by TEM. It has been found that low quantities of protein tend to cross-link and aggregate the small Alhydogel clusters, in a more pronounced manner than high protein concentrations. This indicates that complete saturation of the available Alhydrogel surface with protein may be achieved, with minimal cross-linkage, and future exploitation of this treatment of Alhydrogel is likely to be of immediate value for more efficient vaccine production. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Author(s): Harris JR, Soliakov A, Lewis RJ, Depoix F, Watkinson A, Lakey JH
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Micron
Year: 2012
Volume: 43
Issue: 2-3
Pages: 192-200
Print publication date: 01/02/2012
Online publication date: 21/07/2011
Acceptance date: 11/07/2011
ISSN (print): 0968-4328
ISSN (electronic): 1878-4291
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.micron.2011.07.012
DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2011.07.012
Altmetrics provided by Altmetric
