ANTI-HEPATITIS-A VIRUS-ANTIBODY RESPONSE ELICITED IN MICE BY DIFFERENT FORMS OF A SYNTHETIC VP1 PEPTIDE

Peptide VP1 (11-25) of the capsid of hepatitis A virus was synthesized by the Fmoc-polyamide solid phase method, and administered to mice in different forms: (1) free, (2) encapsulated in multilamellar liposome s, (3) coupled to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KHL), acid (4) incorporat ed into a tetrameric branched lysine core. The highest anti-VP1 peptid e responses were generated by synthetic peptides entrapped into liposo mes and coupled to KLH. No anti-HAV response was generated with the fr ee peptide, while all the other forms induced both anti-HAV and HAV-ne utralizing antibodies. Maximum neutralization indices were observed in ascites from mice treated with liposome-entrapped acid KLH peptides.