PASSIVE TRANSFER OF DELAYED HYPERSENSITIVITY IN GUINEA-PIG .2. ABILITY OF PASSIVELY TRANSFERRED ANTIBODY TO CAUSE LOCAL INFLAMMATION AND RETENTION OF ANTIGEN AND ROLE OF THESE PHENOMENA IN PASSIVE TRANSFER OF DELAYED HYPERSENSITIVITY

Google Scholar
  • 1 January 1967
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 13  (4) , 441-+
Abstract
Serum increases the passive transfer of delayed hypersensitivity to certain antigens, such as bovine gamma-globulin, in the guinea-pig. This synergic effect of serum in the passive transfer of delayed hypersensitivity to bovine gamma-globulin was partly, but not completely, produced by serum to hemocyanin when a mixture of bovine gamma-globulin and hemocyanin was used for skin testing. Part of the synergic action of serum was due to a local inflammatory reaction. The ability of serum to cause local retention of antigen in the skin was studied using antigens labelled with radioactive iodine. Immune serum favored the local retention of antigen. The passive transfer of antiserum to bovine gamma-globulin, egg albumin and hemocyanin specifically increased the retention of antigen 2-12-fold. This ability of serum to cause the local retention of antigen at the site of intradermal injection was present in serum taken 3 weeks after immunization with bovine gamma-globulin in Freund''s complete adjuvant but absent in serum taken at 1 week. Anti-serum also altered the distribution of antigen at the skin site. Auto-radiography showed that it increased the area over which an appreciable concentration of antigen occurred. Active immunization with bovine gamma-globulin had a slight effect on the total amount of antigen retained in the skin after intradermal injection. It had a greater effect on the distribution of antigen. In control guinea-pigs 87% of the total amount of bovine gamma-globulin retained at 20 hr. was found within a radius of 6.5 mm of the center of injection. In contrast in guinea-pigs immunized with bovine gamma-globulin in Freund''s complete adjuvant 43% was found beyond this radius. A similar change in the distribution of human serum albumin was seen in guinea-pigs immunized with bovine gamma-globulin when the albumin was mixed with bovine gamma-globulin. This indicated that factors other than the formation of immune precipitates were sometimes responsible for the local retention of antigen. The total amount of purified protein derivative of tuberculin (PPD) retained and its distribution in the skin was uninfluenced by immunization. The synergic effect of immune serum on the passive transfer of delayed hypersensitivity was due in part to some aspect of the inflammation caused by antibody antigen reaction and in part to the local retention of antigen caused by antibody.