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The Role of Monobasic Aliphatic Fatty Acids in Immune Agglutination of Sheep Erythrocytes

From the Department of Immunochemistry, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Washington, D. C.

Abstract

Even numbered unesterified fatty acids of chain length 10 carbons and greater are capable of increasing significantly the agglutination titers of hyperimmune rabbit anti-sheep erythrocyte serum. They do so in a manner which is dependent upon the binding properties of the erythrocyte and upon the concentration of the fatty acid, the antibody and inhibitor substances such as albumin. In general, the longer the chain length and the greater the degree of unsaturation, the more effective the fatty acid is in enhancing agglutination. The evidence indicates that it is the detergent properties of the acids that enable them to bind effectively to the erythrocyte and to produce agglutination by reducing the repulsive forces between the cells. Although it is clear that unesterified fatty acids are adsorbed to sheep erythrocytes during the normal course of sensitition, under most conditions their influence on hemagglutination can be expected to be minimized by the effects of dilution, competitive binding, and by the occurence of antibody dependent maximum agglutination. The possibility that these observations may have some in vivo significance is discussed.

Footnotes

¹ Present address: Second (Cornell) Medical Division, Bellevue Hospital, New York City, New York.