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. 2015 Apr 16;3(2):320–343. doi: 10.3390/vaccines3020320

Table 1.

Characteristics of adjuvants used in licensed vaccines.

Adjuvant Composition Major Immune Effects
(vaccines where used) Component Origin Other Uses
Aluminum (D, T, pertussis, IPV, hepatitis A & B, HPV, meningococcal and pneumococcal) Aluminum as salts mixed with antigen (adsorption) Naturally occurring present in soil, water, air Medicines, cosmetics, food industry Increases local inflammation, improves antigen update by APCs. Acts to increase antibody production
Virosomes (Hepatitis and influenza) Vesicles where influenza antigens in aqueous volume are enclosed within a standard phospholipid cell membrane bilayer Natural phospholipids, Seasonal influenza glycoproteins None Increases uptake by APCs. May interact with B cells leading to T-cell activation.
AS04 (Hepatitis B, HPV) (3-deacyl-monophosphoryl lipid A) derived from LPS from Salmonella Minnesota, Aluminum salts Natural exposure to LPS from Gram-negative bacteria occurs frequently None Directly stimulates TLR-4 increasing APC maturation and Th1 responses.
MF59® (Influenza-seasonal and pandemic) Squalene Animal source (shark liver oil). Found naturally in human tissues: adipose tissues, skin, arterial walls, skeleton, muscles, lymph nodes Cosmetics, moisturizers Increases APC recruitment and activation. Promotes antigen uptake and migration of cells to lymph nodes.
AS03 (Influenza-pandemic)

  • Vitamin E (α-Tocopherol)

  • Surfactant polysorbate 80

  • Squalene

  • Naturally occurring in humans.

  • Surfactant and emulsifier

  • Animal source (shark liver oil). See above

  • Vitamin

  • Used in foods, eye drops & intravenous injections

  • Naturally occurring. See above

 Promotes local production of cytokines and recruitment of innate cells.
Thermo-reversible oil-in-water (Influenza-pandemic) Squalene Animal source (shark liver oil). See above Naturally occurring. See above Not reported
ISA51 (therapeutic vaccine NSCLC) Mineral oil DRAKEOL 6 VR Surfactant mannide-mono-oleate Refined mineral oil of vegetable origin Food industry Strongly immunogenic

D = diphtheria, T = tetanus, IPV = inactivated poliomyelitis vaccine, HPV = human papilloma virus, LPS = lipopolysaccharide, APC = antigen presenting cells, TLR = toll-like receptor, NSCLC = non-small cell lung cancer, MPL = monophosphoryl lipid A.