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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Mar 16.
Published in final edited form as: Vaccine. 2012 Feb 2;30(13):2256–2272. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2012.01.070

Table 4.

Novel and emerging immunostimulatory lipids

Name Origin Mechanism Refs.
All-trans retinoic acid Vitamin A metabolite RAR agonist [150, 239]
DiC14-amidine Synthetic cationic transfection reagent TLR4 agonist [142, 143]
Docosahexaenoic acid Polyunsaturated ω-3 fatty acid GPR120 agonist [151, 155]
DOTAP Synthetic cationic transfection reagent Induction of reactive oxygen species, subsequent activation of ERK and p38 [139–141]
α-galactosylceramide Glycosphingolipid first isolated from A. mauritianus CD1d agonist [134, 135]
Lauric acid Saturated fatty acid TLR4 agonist [151]
Lysophosphatidylcholine Endogenous lysophospholipid Upregulation of MHC II, CD86; secretion of chemokines [169]
Palmitic acid Saturated fatty acid Activation of NLRP3-ASC inflammasome [153]
Phosphatidylserine Phospholipid found in cytoplasmic leaflet of plasma membrane Induction of TGF-β, possibly via PI3K-ERK [158, 159]
Sphingosine-1-phosphate Endogenous Agonist of S1PR receptor family [163–165]
Trehalose dibehenate Synthetic analogue of mycobacterial cord factor Mincle agonist [131–133]