PubMed · 14138640
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D A DAVIES. 1963. ANTIGENS.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14138640/
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Vancomycin precipitates fibrinogen. The turbidity induced by this vancomycin-fibrinogen interaction is used to establish a simple standardized antigenic assay for plasmatic fibrinogen, the FIATA. 1 mM vancomycin or 2 mM chloramine-T inactivates 50% of fibrinogen in human plasma. In contrast to chloramine-T, vancomycin does not react in NaJ-based photometric assay for chloramines,vancomycin does not inactivate the singlet oxygen-sensible antithrombin III, and the vancomycin action against fibrinogen is not changed in spite of the presence of the 1O2 quenchers methionine or ascorbic acid. The FIATA is performed as follows: to 25 microL plasma 50 microL PBS are added and the absorbance (A) at 405 nm is read. Then 50 microL FIATA-reagent, consisting of 4.4 mM vancomycin in PBS, are added. After 2 minutes (RT) DeltaA is determined and standardized against a plasma pool of 100% of norm (2.8 g/L) fibrinogen. The FIATA is nearly linear up to a fibrinogen concentration of about 150% of norm (4.2 g/L), resulting in a DeltaA of about 600 mA. The lower detection limit is 4% of norm (0.1 g/L). The intra-assay and interessay CV values are < 4%. The normal range of FIATA is 100% +/-20% (x- +/- 1 SD). In = 321 or 344 unselected patient plasmas the FIATA (x- = 130%; SD = 52% or 43%) correlated with the functional fibrinogen assays a) modified Clauss-Method (x- = 4.1 g/L; SD =1.7 g/L) with r = 0.755 and b) FIFTA (x- = 124%; SD = 40%) with r = 0.813. The vancomycin/fibrinogen interaction (binding of about 16 molecules of vancomycin/molecule of fibrinogen) can be used to purify fibrinogen out of plasma. Vancomycin also clouds dysfunctional fibrinogen (fibrinogen in presence of EDTA or chloramine-T)or soluble fibrin. Vancomycin-reacted fibrinogen stimulates tissue type plasminogen activator (t-PA) up to about 20-fold. The experimental data are analyzed by a new significance test: the two foldYates-corrected chi-square comparison against the mean value ofthe control-collective, called the Chi2x - Test. The P < .05 significance barrier calculated with the Chi2x - Test is equivalent to that calculated with the Fisher's Exact Test. The FIATA might be considered an interesting screening test for inactive fibrinogen forms or soluble fibrin, as eg in disseminated intravascular coagulation. Fibrinogen precipitation by vancomycin within the blood vessel might explain why vancomycin has to be infused slowly (< 10 mg/min) to prevent nephrotoxicity. The FIATA is of such a simplicity that the determination of fibrinogen antigen in plasma can be performed anywhere--even outside a hospital--within seconds. Thus, the presented FIATA might contribute to extra hospital testing of patients for assessing their risk for myocardial or cerebral ischemia/infarction.
PURPOSE: The purpose of these studies was to prepare nanoparticles (NPs) with a small amount of surface-chelated nickel for obtaining enhanced binding of histidine-tagged (his-tag) proteins compared to non-histidine-tagged protein binding to charged nanoparticles. MATERIALS AND METHODS: NPs were prepared from oil-in-water microemulsion precursors using emulsifying wax, 3 mM Brij 78 and 0.1 mM DOGS-NTA-Ni lipid (referred to as Ni-NPs). The amount of lipid entrapped in the NPs was quantitated by atomic emission spectroscopy (AES). The Ni-NPs were investigated for binding to two his-tag proteins, green fluorescent protein (GFP) and his-tag HIV-1 Gag p24. In vivo studies in mice were carried out to evaluate the immune responses obtained to his-tag Gag p24 bound to Ni-NPs. RESULTS: AES studies demonstrated that approximately 5% of the DOGS-NTA-Ni lipid used was entrapped in the NPs. The optimal binding ratio his-tag GFP and his-tag Gag p24 to Ni-NPs was found to be 1:33.7 and 1:35.4 w/w, respectively. This interaction was stable at 37 degrees C in PBS, pH 7.4 over 4 h and the interaction of his-tag GFP with the Ni-NPs was enhanced compared to control NPs prepared with no Ni on the surface (NTA-NPs). The in vivo studies demonstrated enhanced serum IgG and IgG2a responses to his-tag Gag p24 bound to Ni-NPs compared to protein adjuvanted with Alum or adsorbed on the surface of control NTA-NPs. CONCLUSIONS: Ni-NPs can be used to bind strongly to his-tag proteins. This system was demonstrated to have potential applications in vaccine delivery for enhancing immune responses to protein-based vaccines.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection causes chronic progressive immunodeficiency and immune dysregulaton. Although simple depletion of the major target of HIV infection, the CD4+ T cell, can explain much of the immunosuppression seen, there are multiple other factors contributing to the immune dysregulation. CD4+ T-cell depletion induces a range of homeostatic mechanisms that contribute to immune activation and cell turnover, providing a milieu conducive to further viral replication and cell destruction, resulting in functional defects in various lymphoid organs. These changes are progressive and in turn compromise the homeostatic processes. Further, the infection, like any other viral infection, provokes an active immune response consisting of both CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses. Both appear compromised, displaying aberrant memory cell production. While some of these defects result from viral variation and the chronicity of antigen presentation, other defects of memory cell production appear very early during the primary immune response limiting the viral specific T-cell responses from the outset. This, combined with the ability of the virus to escape any successful immune responses, results in an attenuated immune response that eventually becomes exhausted, characterized by progressive deficits in T-cell repertoire. Furthermore, negative regulatory mechanisms that normally control the immune response may be aberrantly invoked, perhaps directly by the virus, further compromising the efficacy of the immune response. Rational design of effective immunotherapies depends on a clear understanding of the processes compromising the immune response to HIV.