Synthesis of conjugates between luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LH‐RH) and N‐acetyl‐muramyl‐L‐alanyl‐D‐isoglutamine (MDP) models of totally synthetic vaccines

Abstract
Two glycopeptides associating the aminoacid sequence of LH-RH with MDP were prepared, using a Lys residue as a linker. These conjugates, N.alpha. MDP N.epsilon. (LH-RH)-Lys and N.alpha. MDP N.epsilon. (LH-RH)-Lys-NH2 obtained by condensation of fragments were synthesized by liquid as well as solid phase methods. Both compounds were able to induce anti LH-RH antibodies and immunological castration. They retained the immuno-adjuvant activity of MDP. Such antigen-adjuvant constructs, devoid of carrier and obtained by chemically defined and reproducible synthetic methods could offer suitable tools for structure-activity relationship studies aiming at defining synthetic vaccines.