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Anaphylactic Properties of Photo-Oxidized Rabbit-Antisera (vs Sheep-Erythrocytes and Pneumococci) and Horse-Antiserum (vs Diphtherial Toxin) Containing ‘Univalent’ Antibodies¹

From the William G. Kerckhoff Laboratories of the Biological Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California

Abstract

1. Photo-oxidation of antisheep-erythrocyte rabbit-serum to the point of maximal titer of ‘univalent’ antibody (243 mm³ O₂ uptake per ml serum) gives a more than fifty-fold reduction in its direct anaphylactic action on guinea pigs. It is concluded that the ‘univalents’ are ineffective in inducing shock in this system.

2. Antipneumococcal rabbit-serum photo-oxidized to 150 mm³ O₂/ml (at which point precipitating ability is first lost) and 304 mm³ O₂/ml (maximal titer of ‘univalents’) shows progressively decreased ability to produce passive sensitization of guinea pigs. The evidence shows the ‘univalents’ to be incapable of effecting such sensitization and indicates some inhibitory action on their part.

3. The ability of photo-oxidized antipneumococcal rabbit-serum to induce shock in guinea pigs actively sensitized to untreated serum shows a reduction of between two- and five-fold for the "150" sample and between 50- and 1000-fold for the "304" sample. The reductions in protective value (12) are two-fold and twelve-fold respectively for these samples.

4. Both of these photo-oxidized samples of antipneumococcal serum can actively sensitize guinea pigs to the action of untreated serum and of the treated serum. The results with the "304" sample give evidence of the presence of an active antigen of altered specificity.

5. Photo-oxidation of equine diphtheric antitoxin to 448 mm³ O₂/ml, gives an approximately 50-fold reduction in its action on guinea pigs actively sensitized to the untreated serum, as compared with a two-fold reduction in its ability to neutralize toxin.

6. The photo-oxidized horse-serum can actively sensitize guinea pigs to the action of both the untreated serum and the treated material.

7. A small number of tests show desensitization of horse-serum-sensitized guinea pigs by non-shocking doses of the photo-oxidized material.

8. The more favorable ratio of reduction in anaphylactic action to reduction in protective value obtained with the antitoxic than with the antibacterial serum is interpreted on the basis of the loss of protective ability when antibacterial antibodies are converted into the ‘univalent’ form.

Footnotes

¹ This work has been aided by grants from the American Philosophical Society and from the Rockefeller Foundation.