title: Therapeutic use of avidin is not hampered by antiavidin antibodies in humans.
abstract: Hen egg white avidin is increasingly used in the clinic as part of multifactor treatments such as pretargeted radionuclide therapy of cancer or as an antidote of biotinylated drugs. Taking into account that naturally occurring human antiavidin antibodies (HAVA) are common in humans, the present work investigates avidin immunogenicity as part of risk/benefit evaluations. Sera from 139 oncology patients naive to avidin were confirmed to exhibit HAVA with lognormally distributed titers. HAVA were boosted after avidin treatment, with no correlation with the avidin dose or with the basal titer. No antibody-related clinical symptoms were observed in 21 HAVA-positive patients treated with avidin. In mouse models, high mouse antiavidin antibody titers, induced to simulate the worst human condition, neither reduced the biotin uptake of intratissue-injected avidin nor affected the capacity of intravenously injected avidin to clear a biotinylated drug from circulation. In both models the avidin treatment was well tolerated. Results indicate that avidin immunogenicity does not affect its safety and efficacy, thus encouraging its further use in clinical applications.
authors.affiliation: R&D Immunology, Sigma-Tau SpA, Pomezia, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Fiorella
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Petronzelli
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pelliccia
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Anastasi
authors.forename: Ragnar
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lindstedt
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Manganello
authors.forename: Liliana Elisa
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Albertoni
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Leoni
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rosi
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: D'Alessio
authors.forename: Katia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Deiana
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paganelli
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Santis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000097:blood; D001360:Avidin / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001710:Biotin / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D023421:Models, Animal; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D016499:Radioimmunotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D001360:Avidin; D001710:Biotin