Polyelectrolytes in Immunology: Fundametals and Perspectives

Authors: Mehmet I. MUSTAFAEV

Abstract: Physico-chemical criteria for the construction of artifical immunomodulators and immunogens(and vaccines) on the basis of synthetic polyelectrolyte(PE) and polyelectrolyte complexes(PEC) with low molecular weight ligands and protein (and polysaccharide) antigens are considered. The role of electric charge, chain length, conformation, hydrophobicity, polydispersity and supramolecular structure in the immunomodulating activity of PE(PEC) and the conditions facilitating the transformation of their suppressor capacity into immunostimulating one in the same polymerhomologues series are discussed. A structure-function relationship of immunogenicity of PE(PEC), a structural model of an artificial polymer- subunit immunogen and some practical applications of them as valuable tools in theoretical immunological studies are described.

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