Bacterial cell wall components as immunomodulators - II. The bacterial cell wall extract OM-85 BV as unspecific activator, immunogen and adjuvant in mice

The bacterial extract Broncho-Vaxom used for the prevention and treatment of recurrent respiratory tract infections is an immunomodulator in vitro and in vivo, as determined in a murine model. The extract acts, on the one hand, as macrophage activator and polyclonal B-lymphocyte stimulant. On the other hand, after repeated intraperitoneal or oral immunizations, the extract is immunogenic, inducing serum IgG binding to the bacterial strains used for the preparation of the extract. On bacteria, the sera recognize the cell wall components porin, lipoprotein/lipopeptide and murein. The bacterial extract also exhibits adjuvant properties when applied in mixture with antigens, such as TNP-BSA or an influenza vaccine preparation. The unspecific and the immunospecific stimulatory effect of the extract as well as its adjuvant properties could be of importance for understanding its therapeutic effect. (C) 1998 International Society for Immunopharmacology.