title: Red blood cells as an antigen-delivery system.
abstract: The use of adjuvants is usually required to induce strong immunological responses to protein antigens. However, in many cases these adjuvants cannot be extensively applied in human and veterinary vaccinations because of associated inflammatory reactions or granuloma formation. We show here that protein antigens (bovine serum albumin, hog liver uricase, and yeast hexokinase), coupled to autologous red blood cells by way of a biotin-avidin-biotin bridge, elicit an immunological response in mice similar to or higher than that obtained by the use of Freund's adjuvant. Quantities as low as 0.5 micrograms/mouse are high enough to generate these immunological responses. Furthermore, splenocytes of mice immunized by red blood cell-coupled antigens can be used to generate hybridomas secreting monoclonal antibodies. Thus, the delivery of antigens by autologous red blood cells is an effective way to avoid the use of adjuvants for producing anti-peptide antibodies and possibly to generate peptide vaccines.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Chimica Biologica Giorgio Fornaini, Università degli Studi, Urbino, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Magnani
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chiarantini
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vittoria
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Mancini
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fazi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D001360:Avidin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D001710:Biotin / Q000737:chemistry; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D005620:Freund's Adjuvant; D006593:Hexokinase / Q000276:immunology; D006825:Hybridomas / Q000276:immunology; D007114:Immunization; D051379:Mice; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine / Q000276:immunology; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D014503:Urate Oxidase / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000941:Antigens; D001360:Avidin; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine; D001710:Biotin; D005620:Freund's Adjuvant; D014503:Urate Oxidase; D006593:Hexokinase