title: Scale up and safety parameters of antigen specific immunoadsorption of human anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies.
abstract: Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease usually caused by autoantibodies against the muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR). Current treatments are not specific, and thus often cause side effects. Here, we elaborate on our previous findings on antigen specific immunoadsorption towards scaling up the method as well as testing whole blood apheresis. The average percent of plasma or whole blood immunoadsorption was up to 79.5%±2.9. Moreover, neither pyrogens were co-administered nor did complement activation occur after immunoadsorption. Thus, antigen-specific apheresis of anti-AChR autoantibodies seems a safe and effective treatment for myasthenia gravis that can be scaled up for clinical testing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, University of Patras, GR 26500, Patras, Greece.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lagoumintzis
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 127 Vass. Sofias Avenue, GR 11521, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Paraskevi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zisimopoulou
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 127 Vass. Sofias Avenue, GR 11521, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Trakas
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Aretaieion University Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Eirini
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Grapsa
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, University of Patras, GR 26500, Patras, Greece.
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Poulas
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 127 Vass. Sofias Avenue, GR 11521, Athens, Greece. Electronic address: tzartos@pasteur.gr.
authors.forename: Socrates J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Tzartos
mesh_terms: D000918:Antibody Specificity / Q000276:immunology*; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D003167:Complement Activation / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D047468:Immunoprecipitation; D007163:Immunosorbent Techniques; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000097:blood*; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens; D001323:Autoantibodies; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic
keywords: AChR; Ab; Acetylcholine receptor autoantibodies; BSA; CNBr; ECD; IPT; IVIg; Immunoadsorption; LAL; LPS; MG; Myasthenia gravis; NHS; Pyrogens; RIPA; Whole blood apheresis; a-Btx; acetylcholine receptor; antibody; bovine serum albumin; cyanogen bromide; extracellular domain; i.v; in vitro pyrogen test; intravenous; intravenous immunoglobulin; limulus amoebocyte lysate; lipopolysaccharide; myasthenia gravis; normal human serum; radioimmunoprecipitation assay; α-bungarotoxin