Enhancement of antigen-specific interleukin 2 production by adding liposomes to rabies antigens for priming

Antigen-specific IL-2 production was assessed, using splenocytes from rabies immune mice incubated for 24 h with rabies virus antigen. The antigenic material used for in vivo priming was either purified glycoprotein from rabies virus, or the inactivated virus. The time between priming, harvesting and restimulation of the splenocytes was 7 days. It was found that when antigenically inert liposomes were injected, together with antigenic material, to the prospective splenocyte donor mice, IL-2 production was enhanced. This augmentation was observed particularly when priming was performed with the inactivated rabies virus.