Augmentation of murine immune responses by amphotericin B.

Immunostimulant effects have been demonstrated in mice following single injections of amphotericin B or amphotericin methyl ester. Augmentation of both humoral and cell-mediated immune responses helps to explain the beneficial therapeutic effects observed in human and murine neoplasms after administration of amphotericin. Relevant to its immunological adjuvant properties, amphotericin produces striking reversible changes in murine thymus and splenic weights and in lymphoid organ histology. The chemical purity, nonimmunogenicity, and permissible toxicity of amphotericin recommend it as a model for the study of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of immunological adjuvants.