Immunoadjuvant Activity of Crude Lectin Extracted from Momordica Charantia Seed

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the immunoadjuvant activity of the crude Momordica charantia lectin (crMCL) extracted from seed using β-galactosidase (β-gal) as the model antigen. BALB/c mice were injected intramuscularly with β-gal alone or β-gal + crMCL for up to four immunizations at two-week intervals. After administration of 2 doses, the IgG-specific titer to β-gal was significantly higher in mice in the β-gal + crMCL group than in that from the animals from the β-gal alone group, while it was about the same in both groups after 1 dose. Our data suggest that crMCL may help raise antibodies under the prime and boost administration regimen and could be a potent vaccine adjuvant.