title: Suppression of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis by intravenous immunoglobulin and isolation of a disease-specific IgG fraction.
abstract: Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) administration has been beneficially used for the treatment of a variety of autoimmune diseases including myasthenia gravis (MG). We have demonstrated that IVIG administration in experimental autoimmune MG (EAMG) results in suppression of disease that is accompanied by decreased Th1 cell and B cell proliferation. Chromatography of pooled human immunoglobulins (IVIGs) on immobilized IgG, isolated from rats with EAMG, results in a complete depletion of the suppressive activity of the IVIG. Moreover, the eluate from this EAMG-specific antibody column retains the immunosuppressive activity of IVIG. This study supports the notion that the therapeutic effect of IVIGs is mediated by an antigen-specific anti-immunoglobulin (anti-idiotypic) activity that is essential for its suppressive activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel. sara.fuchs@weizmann.ac.il
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fuchs
authors.forename: Tali
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Feferman
authors.forename: Kai-Yun
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Meidler
authors.forename: Raanan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Margalit
authors.forename: Ningshan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Orgad
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Laub
authors.forename: Miriam C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Souroujon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000276:immunology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007167:Immunotherapy; D020720:Myasthenia Gravis, Autoimmune, Experimental / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous