Effects of addition of alum (0.00 -1.0% w/w) on pasting and some physicochemical characteristics of cassava starch were investigated with view to evaluate the potential of alum as a cassava starch modifying agent. The modified starch was prepared by pre-treatment of the native starch with alkaline at room temperature prior to modification using alum. Alum modified cassava starch were characteri...

Although glycoconjugate vaccines are generally very efficacious, there is still a need to improve their efficacy, especially in eliciting a strong primary antibody response. We have recently described a new type of vaccine adjuvant based on a TLR7 agonist adsorbed to alum (Alum-TLR7), which is highly efficacious at enhancing immunogenicity of protein based vaccines. Since no adjuvant has been s...

Alum adjuvanticity is still an unknown mechanism despite the frequent use as vaccine adjuvant in humans. Here we show that Alum-induced inflammasome activation in vitro and in vivo is mediated by the G protein-coupled receptor GPRC6A. The Alum-induced humoral response in vivo was independent of the inflammasome because Nlrp3-/- and ASC-/- mice responded normally to Alum and blockade of IL-1 had...

Aluminum hydroxide (alum) is the most widely used adjuvant in human vaccines, but the immune mechanisms that are activated by alum remain poorly understood. Alum has recently been shown to promote caspase-1 activation and IL-1beta secretion, but the cellular pathways involved remain elusive. Here we report that the release of IL-1beta triggered by alum is abrogated in macrophages deficient in t...

One proposed mechanism by which alum enhances an immune response is by its ability to induce an inflammatory response that results in the release of uric acid from necrotic cells. Uric acid is thought to be a mediator in enhancing the immune response. The aim of this study was to investigate the immunopotentiating effect of uric acid. Groups of BALB/c mice were injected intraperitoneally with o...

Alum (Al2(SO4)(3).14H2O) additions to poultry litter result in lower ammonia (NH3) volatilization and phosphorus (P) runoff; however, the long-term effects of alum on soil P behavior have been unknown. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the long-term effects of poultry litter, alum-treated litter, and ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) on P availability in soils and P runoff. Two studies were...

This is a review paper on the effects of aluminum sulfate (alum) on ammonia volatilization and P runoff from poultry litter. Initially, laboratory studies were conducted that showed P solubility could be reduced in poultry litter with Al, Ca, and Fe amendments, indicating that these amendments may reduce P runoff. These results were confirmed in small plot studies in which alum applications to ...

Alum is used as a vaccine adjuvant and induces Th2 responses and Th2-driven antibody isotype production against co-injected antigens. Alum also promotes the appearance in the spleen of Gr11 IL-41 innate cells that, via IL-4 production, induce MHC II-mediated signaling in B cells. To investigate whether these Gr11 cells accumulate in the spleen in response to other Th2-inducing stimuli and to un...

Nutrient removal in treatment wetlands declines during winter months due to temperature. A 3-mo (wintertime) mesocosm study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of alum in immobilizing P as well as other nutrients during this period of reduced treatment efficiency. Eighteen mesocosms, triplicate alum, and three controls or no alum were established with either Typha spp., Schoenoplectus ...

1Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan (Correspondence to F.I. Mohammed: [email protected]). Received: 11/01/05; accepted: 12/05/05 ABSTRACT Traditionally known as a haemostatic agent, alum shows a paradoxical effect of increased prothrombin and partial thromboplastin times. This study investigated the in vivo effect of alum on platele...