Nationwide survey of susceptibilities of clinical isolates to antibacterial agents in 1992

Adjuvant activity of saponins extracted from the South American tree Quillaja saponaria has been demonstrated with many antigens. Recently, four saponin fractions (designated as QS-7, QS-17, QS-18, and QS-21) with adjuvant activity were purified by reverse phase chromatography. In particular, efficacy of the less toxic QS-21 fraction has been demonstrated with several recombinant viral antigens including HIV gp120. Here, we report a novel saponin fraction (designated as QS-L1) derived from Quillaja saponaria. Unlike previously identified saponins, QS-L1 had a different chemical structure and showed adjuvant activity only when administered in the presence of alum-precipitated antigen. Interestingly, the QS-L1 greatly increased not only a humoral immune response but also cellular immune response to recombinant hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg). Furthermore, QS-L1 showed lower toxicity in vivo and in vitro than the previously identified saponin fraction, QS-21. Finally, we examined the chemical structure of the QS-L1 using mass spectroscopic analysis, carbohydrate composition analysis and NMR spectroscopic analysis. Thus, our results indicated that this novel QS-L1 saponin fraction had several desirable properties required for an effective adjuvant.