An adjuvant is a substance that enhances the immune system's response to the presence of an antigen. They are commonly used to improve the effectiveness of a vaccine. Generally, they are injected alongside an antigen to help the immune system generate antibodies that fight the antigen.

How do adjuvants stimulate immune response?

Available evidence suggests that adjuvants employ one or more of the following mechanisms to elicit immune responses: (1) sustained release of antigen at the site of injection (depot effect), (2) up-regulation of cytokines and chemokines, (3) cellular recruitment at the site of injection, (4) increase antigen uptake ...

Do adjuvants stimulate the immune response to live vaccines?

Adjuvants enhance immunity to vaccines and experimental antigens by a variety of mechanisms. In the past decade, many receptors and signaling pathways in the innate immune system have been defined and these innate responses strongly influence the adaptive immune response.