IMMUNOCHEMICAL TITRATION OF ANTIGENS AND ANTIBODIES IN ELECTRIC FIELD - TITRATION OF ANTIGENS IN COMPLEX SYSTEMS AND TITRATION OF INDIVIDUAL DETERMINANT ANTIGEN GROUPS

  • 1 January 1961
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 4  (2) , 164-+
Abstract
A quantitative immunochemical method has been developed suitable for titration of antigens and antibodies in complex systems. This method can be used for antigens migrating towards the anode in agar-gel electrophoresis only and for the corresponding antibodies in case that their mobility equals to that of gamma globulin. A number of bacterial toxins or toxoids complies with this condition. The reaction takes place in agar gel. The reacting components are transported into the reaction arena by means of electric field; identification of individual components is facilitated by the fact that each precipitating antigen -antibody system is characterized by the electrophoretic mobility of antigen. This method makes possible the quantitative determination of a number of antigenic components in crude diphtheria toxin and tetanus toxoid. In suitable conditions this method makes also possible the titration of individual determinant antigen groups or, on the contrary, their corresponding antibodies. The results achieved indicate the usefulness of this method for the study of the immunochemical structure of toxins. It is possible, by using a suitably modified method, to titrate some non-precipitating systems.