Table 1.
Adjuvants in use or being tested for use in human vaccines
| Adjuvant | Composition | Current status | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminum salts (alum) | Aluminum hydroxide or aluminum phosphate non-crystalline gels | In use in vaccines against DT, DPT, HBV, Hib, Streptococcus pneumoniae, meningococcal and HPV infections | [94] |
| MF59 | Oil (squalene)-in-water emulsion | In use in influenza vaccine (Europe); in trials for malarial, hepatitis C and HIV vaccine systems | [18,95-99] |
| MPL | Non-toxic derivative of LPS | Used in various trials in combination with oil (squalene)-in-water emulsions for malaria and leishmaniasis or in liposomal formulation | [87,100] |
| QS21 | Purified fraction of Quil A | Trialed alone and in combination with MPL (AS02, AS01) for malaria, influenza and cancers | [87] |
| ISCOMS | Liposomes containing QS21 | Trials for influenza vaccines | [101,102] |
| AS01 | Liposomal formulation containing MPL and QS21 | Trials for malaria vaccines (a more effective formulation than AS03 and AS04) | [87] |
| AS02 | Oil (squalene)-in-water emulsion of MPL and QS21 | Trials for malaria, HBV and TB vaccines | [103] |
| AS03 | Oil (squalene)-in-water emulsion | Trials for influenza vaccines | [20,21] |
| AS04 | Aluminum hydroxide and MPL | Trials for HBV and HPV vaccines | [104,105] |
| MPL-SE | MPL in a oil (squalene)-in-water emulsion | Trials for leishmaniasis vaccines | [100] |
Abbreviations: DPT, Diphtheria pertussis tetanus toxoid; DT, Diphtheria toxoid; HBV, Hepatitis B virus; Hib, Haemophilus influenzae, HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; HPV, human papilloma virus; ISCOMs, immune stimulating complexes; LPS, lipopolysaccharide; MPL, monophosphoryl lipid A; TB, tuberculosis.