Immunological investigations on the antigenic changes of human aortic elastin in aging and atherosclerosis.
Alpha-elastin of human aorta was investigated by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) on the material isolated from aborted human fetuses and healthy subjects killed by accident, assigned to 7 age groups. Samples up to the age of 55 were taken only from regions without detectable changes in the arterial wall, in the 60-75-year age group--both from normal areas and atherosclerotic plaques of the same aortas. An immune serum against alpha-elastin isolated from the normal aortic areas of a 61-year-old subject was produced in sheep. Testing with this serum showed the existence of some antigenic changes in the elastins from different age groups. A prevalence of the species-specific antigenic determinants was observed in alpha-elastin from fetal aorta while in alpha-elastin from the atherosclerotically altered human aorta the cross-reacting antigenic determinants prevailed in its antigenic structure.
Baydanoff
S
S
Department of Biology, University School of Medicine, Pleven, Bulgaria.
Nicoloff
G
G
Alexiev
C
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000276:immunology*; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000276:immunology*; D002645:Chickens / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003429:Cross Reactions; D004549:Elastin / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D000939:Epitopes / Q000032:analysis*; D005333:Fetus / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007106:Immune Sera; D007223:Infant; D008875:Middle Aged
D000939:Epitopes; D007106:Immune Sera; D004549:Elastin