Inhibition of experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis in rats by S‐antigen‐specific monoclonal antibodies

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Abstract
Mouse monoclonal antibodies (mAb), of either IgG2a or IgG2b isotypes, specific for the retinal S‐autoantigen (S‐Ag) or a pool of rat anti‐S‐Ag sera prevented experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis in Lewis rats when injected i.p. at the time of immunization. Control mAb of the same isotypes, irrelevant to S‐Ag, had no inhibitory effect. The humoral response to S‐Ag, as studied by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay using a mouse mAb specific for rat kappa chain, was moderately but significantly reduced in suppressed animals. The rapid disappearance of the injected mAb from rat sera, as measured using a rat mAb specific for mouse kappa chain, could be explained by its complexing with either autologous antigen released from the retina at the site of inflammation, or anti‐idiotypic antibodies.