Morphological and immunological characterization of immunostimulatory complexes based on glycoglycerolipids from Laminaria japonica.

Some physicochemical properties of glycoglycerolipids (monogalactosyldiacylglycerol, digalactosyldiacylglycerol and sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol) from the sea algae Laminaria japonica, as well as their ability to become incorporate into immunostimulating complexes (ISCOMs), used as a delivery system of microbial and tumor antigens in vesicular form, were studied. These glycolipids were found to differ essentially in fatty acid composition, unsaturation index and thermotropic behavior. The possibility of ISCOM modification by embedding the glycolipids studied instead of a phospholipid component in vesicles was shown.