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At least 739 records · Page 41Linked to original sources

PubMed1993

Non-invasive monitoring of ovarian function in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) by measurement of urinary 5 beta-pregnanetriol.

The development of an enzymeimmunoassay for 5 beta-pregnanetriol and its use for non-invasive monitoring of reproductive cycles in Asian elephants is described. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) confirmed the presence of 5 beta-pregnane-3 alpha,17 alpha,20 alpha/beta-triols as the two most abundant urinary progesterone metabolites. The assay developed used the antiserum anti-5 beta-pregnane-17 alpha,20 alpha-diol-3 alpha-gamma l glucuronide but was designed to measure the free steroid in urine samples after hydrolysis and extraction. HPLC confirmed the presence of immunoreactive pregnanetriol in urine, but indicated that the measurement was nonspecific. Immunoreactive pregnanetriol concentrations were significantly correlated with the concentrations of both progesterone (r = 0.98, n = 269, P < 0.01) and 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone (r = 0.95, n = 205, P < 0.01), the metabolic precursor of pregnanetriol. The mean +/- SEM deviation of cycles as determined by measurements of plasma progesterone, 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone and urinary pregnanetriol, respectively, were 15.54 +/- 1.5 (n = 23, where n = number of cycles), 15.21 +/- 1.7 (n = 15) and 15.45 +/- 0.94 weeks (n = 20). These results demonstrate that it is possible to monitor ovarian function in Asian elephants by the measurement of urinary immunoreactive pregnanetriol concentrations.

17-alpha-Hydroxyprogesterone↗

PubMed1992

An improved passive hemagglutination test for the serological diagnosis of bovine fascioliasis using the specific antigen f2.

Optimum conditions for coupling the specific antigen f2 of Fasciola hepatica to sheep red cells and for the preparation of control cells coated with an unrelated protein are described. With a careful selection of donor sheep for erythrocytes, the problem of anti-species antibodies in bovine sera has been overcome and results may be obtained within 1 h as only one step is required in the assay system. Incorporation of a concentration of 25 mM CaCl2 in the diluent achieved increased stability of the agglutinates and enabled a more precise estimation of the end-point to be made. Analyses performed on bovine sera obtained at slaughter provided results in good agreement with the presence of flukes or fascioliasis lesions in livers at routine slaughter inspection. The developed assay is simpler, faster, more sensitive (P less than 0.01) and has a cut-off between populations of negative sera more easy to define than a recently marketed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Semiquantitative measurement of IgG subclasses and IgM of platelet-specific antibodies in a glycoprotein-specific platelet-antigen capture assay.

The detection of platelet-specific antibodies is of high clinical interest in diseases with immune thrombocytopenia. The glycoprotein-specific platelet-antigen capture (PAC)-assay developed in this study is especially suited to the differentiation of platelet-specific immunoglobulin (Ig) G subclasses and the determination of platelet-specific IgM in serum or on platelets. The problems with unspecific signals or low sensitivity usually seen with the detector antibodies available are effectively overcome, as unbound detector antibodies are removed at an early stage in the assay. We investigated 14 maternal alloantisera from cases of neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (NAITP) and six sera from patients with autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura (AITP). In NAITP sera, we found IgG1 alone in 57%, IgG1 + IgG3 in 21% and IgG1 + IgG2 in 14% of cases. One serum contained IgG1 + IgG2 + IgG3. In AITP, three out of the six sera contained IgG1 alone. One serum contained IgG1 + IgG2. One patient, with highly refractory AITP, had platelet-specific IgG1 + IgG2 + IgG3 in his serum. A patient with AITP in remission and normal platelet counts only showed platelet-bound IgG2. The detection of platelet-specific 'whole IgG' is possible too. However, at this time the commonly used monoclonal antibody-specific immobilization of platelet antigens (MAIPA) method should not be replaced for this purpose, as it is well standardized and used with similar results in many laboratories. The PAC assay sensitively detects the subclasses of platelet-specific IgG and human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-antibodies independently. It is easy to perform and takes less time than other platelet glycoprotein-specific methods.

Adult↗

PubMed1989

Comparative evaluation of three products for the detection of Borrelia burgdorferi antibody in human serum.

Eighty human serum specimens tested concomitantly by immunoblot and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay developed jointly at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station were used to evaluate three commercially available diagnostic products for Lyme borreliosis. The sources of the kits were Hillcrest Biologicals, Cypress, Calif.; Whittaker Bioproducts, Walkersville, Md.; and Cambridge Bioscience, Worcester, Mass. When compared with Western blot analysis, the sensitivities and specificities, respectively, for the diagnostic assays were as follows: Hillcrest Biologicals, 93 and 75%; Whittaker Bioproducts, 73 and 100%; Cambridge Bioscience, 89 and 100%; and University of Connecticut School of Medicine, 96 and 92%.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗

PubMed2002

Systemic and mucosal antibody response to Moraxella catarrhalis after exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

To characterize the immune response to Moraxella catarrhalis after exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pre- and postexacerbation serum and sputum supernatant samples obtained during 21 exacerbations in 18 patients were studied, using the homologous infecting isolates. New serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) detected by whole-cell enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay developed after 12 (57.1%) of 21 exacerbations. Analysis of serum samples with flow cytometry, which detects antibodies that are exclusive to epitopes on the bacterial surface, revealed that 5 (23.8%) of the 21 exacerbations were associated with the development of new serum IgG to surface epitopes. Three of these serum samples and 2 other serum samples contained new IgG directed at lipooligosaccharide. Flow cytometry revealed that new mucosal IgA to surface-exposed epitopes of the infecting isolate developed in sputum supernatants after 42% of exacerbations. Therefore, adults with COPD develop variable humoral immune responses to M. catarrhalis after exacerbations, including new serum IgG and new mucosal IgA to epitopes on the bacterial surface.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Release kinetics of cardiac troponin T in coronary effluent from isolated rat hearts during hypoxia and reoxygenation.

A newly developed troponin T (TnT) test for the detection of myocardial cell necrosis has been reported to be very efficient in the detection of acute myocardial infarction. The aim of the present study was to determine whether cardiac TnT in coronary effluent from isolated heart perfused with albumin-free perfusion medium could be detected using the enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay developed by Katus et al. Isolated rat hearts were perfused according to the method of Langendorff. Coronary flow rate was measured by timed collection of the coronary perfusate that dripped from the hearts during 5 h of hypoxia (protocol A) or 4 h of hypoxia followed by 1 h of reoxygenation (protocol B). Creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LD) levels were compared with that of TnT. Myocardial adenine nucleotides were measured by HPLC. There was a strong correlation between TnT levels in albumin-free coronary effluent and TnT levels in coronary effluent diluted 1:1 with 5% bovine serum albumin (r = 0.996, N = 72). The coefficients of correlation between TnT and CK or LD during hypoxia and reoxygenation were 0.891 (N = 88) and 0.871 (N = 88), respectively. The coefficient of correlation between CK and LD was 0.993 (N = 88). There were no significant differences in either the decrease of coronary flow or the increase of TnT content between the hearts in the two protocols. There was no significant correlation between sigma TnT and energy charge of adenine nucleotides. These results indicate that cardiac TnT levels can be easily measured in albumin-free coronary effluent of isolated heart preparations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine stability: catalytic depolymerization of PRP in the presence of aluminum hydroxide.

The structural stability of the Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) capsular polysaccharide, polyribosylribitolphosphate (PRP) in an aluminum hydroxide adsorbed, polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccine was monitored using modifications of an HPLC assay developed by Tsai et al. [Tsai C-M, Gu X-X, Byrd RA. Quantification of polysaccharide in Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate and polysaccharide vaccines by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection. Vaccine 1993;12:700-706.]. As applied to products containing PRP conjugated to the outer membrane protein complex (OMPC) from Neisseria meningitidis, this assay allows direct measurement of the total PRP content in very complex samples including commercial vaccine products. In addition, with the use of a high-speed centrifugation step, the assay can be used to directly quantify any PRP that is not conjugated to the OMPC carrier protein. These results provide evidence of what appears to be a catalytic reaction taking place between the phosphodiester bond of PRP and the aluminum hydroxide adjuvant that results in hydrolysis of the PRP polymer into smaller chain lengths and liberation of PRP oligomers from the conjugate particle. The reaction approaches an asymptotic limit after approximately two years at 2-8 degrees C. Clinical studies which span this time period confirm that the modest decrease in conjugated PRP content over time does not impact the overall clinical effectiveness of PRP-OMPC-containing vaccines.

Adsorption↗

PubMed1998

Novel, sensitive and low-cost diagnostic tests for 'river blindness'--detection of specific antigens in tears, urine and dermal fluid.

Sensitive, specific and low-cost diagnostic tests for onchocerciasis are indispensable for monitoring the efficacy of control programs, as well as for preventing blindness (when the tests are combined with efficacious chemotherapy. Three new tests to detect Onchocerca-specific antigens in tears, dermal fluid and urine employ antibodies to O. volvulus-specific recombinant proteins, Oncho-C27 and OvD3B, encoded by genes within the immunodominant Onchocerca OV 33-3 gene family, and expressed in yeast and in E. coli, respectively. In these assays, Onchocerca-specific antigens in test samples are bound onto a solid surface and revealed using appropriate enzyme-labelled antibodies. Proteins in the samples are first transferred to Hybond-N + membrane disks or nitrocellulose paper using either a transblot or a dotblot machine, and then reacted with specific O. volvulus antibodies. Bound antibodies are revealed with species-specific peroxidase-labelled antibodies and peroxidase substrate. Positive tests give a brown colour. In one of the two assays developed to detect Onchocerca antigens in tears, the sensitivity was enhanced by first adsorbing the specific antibodies onto the membrane surface in order to immobilize and concentrate the Onchocerca-specific antigen molecules on the membrane. The specificity of the recombinant proteins for Onchocerca volvulus had been verified by ELISA, classical Western blot and modified DSIA. The tests are a dipstick immunobinding assay for ocular microfilariae (DSIA), a transblot immunobinding assay for the detection of skin microfilariae (TADA) and a dot-blot immunobinding assay for detecting urinary microfilariae and their antigens (DIA). Their specificity and sensitivity were evaluated in the field on 110 subjects with proven ocular microfilariae, 130 subjects with clinical and parasitological evidence of onchocerciasis, 25 subjects infected with other helminths and 120 normal controls. The minimal detection limits of Oncho-C27 protein by DSIA, TADA and DIA were 500 ng/ml, 154 ng/ml and 508 ng/ml, respectively By contrast, their sensitivities were: 100% for DSIA and 82.5% for TADA employed on samples of tears; 97% for TADA skin test and 96% for DIA used on urine samples.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1992

Mutagenesis of the L protein encoded by Bunyamwera virus and production of monospecific antibodies.

Bacterial fusion proteins containing portions of the Bunyamwera virus L protein were used as immunogens to prepare antisera in rabbits. Of five fusion proteins injected into rabbits, three yielded sera that reacted with the Bunyamwera virus L protein, detected by Western blotting or immunoprecipitation. Two of these antisera were specific for either the amino- or carboxy-terminal regions of the L protein. The specificity of these antisera was confirmed by their pattern of reactivity with full-length and truncated forms of the L protein. Plasmids containing the L gene cDNA under control of a bacteriophage T7 promoter were transfected into CV-1 cells which had previously been infected with a recombinant vaccinia virus, vTF7-3, that expresses T7 RNA polymerase. Antigenically authentic L protein was expressed. Using a nucleocapsid transfection assay developed previously, we showed that the transiently expressed L protein had RNA synthesis activity. Site-specific mutations were made in the L cDNA-containing plasmid to change certain amino acids in the putative polymerase domain of the L protein. The effects of these amino acid substitutions on the RNA synthesis activity of the L protein were monitored using the nucleocapsid transfection assay. These experiments showed that residues strictly conserved between the L proteins of different viruses in the family Bunyaviridae were obligatorily required for activity, whereas non-conserved residues could be substituted without abolishing RNA synthesis capability. Our results provide direct evidence for the functional significance of particular amino acids in the polymerase domain of a negative-strand virus RNA polymerase.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2005

Detection of fish antigens aerosolized during fish processing using newly developed immunoassays.

BACKGROUND: Aerosolization of fish proteins during seafood processing has been identified as a potential route for allergic sensitization and occupational asthma among workers involved in high-risk activities. The aim of this study was to develop immunological assays for the quantification of aerosolized fish antigens in a fish-processing factory. METHODS: Polyclonal antibodies to the main fish species processed in the factory (anchovy and pilchard) were generated in rabbits and compared by ELISA inhibition assay and immunoblotting. These antisera were utilized to develop ELISA assays for the detection of fish antigens. The ELISA inhibition assays were evaluated by analyzing environmental air samples collected from three areas in a fish-processing factory: pilchard canning, fish meal production and lobster processing. RESULTS: By immunoblotting, the rabbit polyclonal antibodies demonstrated IgG antibody binding patterns comparable with IgE antibodies of fish-sensitized patients, particularly in regard to the major fish allergens parvalbumins. The sensitivity of the fish-specific ELISA assays developed was 0.5 microg/ml. The ELISA inhibition assays were able to differentiate between the two different fish species of interest but did not recognize a crustacean species. Notable differences in exposure levels to canned pilchard and anchovy antigens were demonstrated in the three different working areas of the factory, with assays having a detection limit as low as 105 ng/m(3). CONCLUSION: These ELISA-based assays are sensitive and specific to quantify differential exposure levels to fish antigens produced during fish processing, making it possible to investigate exposure-disease response relationships among workers in this industry.

Aerosols↗

PubMed2002

Enhancing the in vitro and in vivo detection of aneuploidy by fluorescence in situ hybridization with the use of bromodeoxyuridine as a proliferation marker.

Aneuploidy is associated with spontaneous abortions, birth defects, and many types of human cancers. Currently there are few assays developed for the efficient detection of aneuploidy in vivo. However, with the recent availability of chromosome-specific DNA probes for the rat, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) techniques could be used for the rapid and sensitive detection of aneuploidy in different tissue and cell types. In order to develop a system that can detect alterations in chromosome number in rat cells in vitro, we treated cultured rat lymphocytes with three aneugens-noscapine hydrochloride (0-150 microM) and vincristine and vinblastine sulfate (0-0.06 microM). 5-Bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU; 1 microM) was added to the culture medium to allow proliferating and non-proliferating cells to be distinguished. To test this assay under in vivo conditions, 21-day-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were subcutaneously implanted with osmotic pumps that delivered BrdU (approximately 12 mg/kg per day) continuously. These rats were administered vinblastine sulfate (0, 0.5 and 1mg/kg) by intraperitoneal injection. The rat lymphocytes and hepatocytes incorporating BrdU were detected by immuno-fluorescent labeling, and FISH with a rat chromosome 4 probe was performed on the labeled and unlabeled cells. Highly significant increases in hyperdiploidy were seen in the replicating rat lymphocytes treated with noscapine, vincristine or vinblastine in vitro and in the rat hepatocytes treated with vinblastine in vivo. In contrast, no significant increase in hyperdiploidy was observed in the non-replicating cells. These results demonstrate that this BrdU-enhanced FISH assay with chromosome-specific rat probes can be used to efficiently detect numerical chromosomal aberrations in vitro and in vivo in slowly or moderately replicating rat tissues. The combination of BrdU-labeling and FISH allows the scoring of hyperdiploidy to be focused on the actively replicating cells, thereby increasing the sensitivity of the FISH technique.

Aneuploidy↗

PubMed2005

Use of biotinylated 17beta-estradiol in enzyme-immunoassay development: spacer length and chemical structure of the bridge are the main determinants in simultaneous streptavidin-antibody binding.

17beta-estradiol (E2) concentrations are in the low pg/ml range in plasma. To develop a sensitive enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for E2-determination a highly specific antibody raised against a 6-carboxymethyl (CMO)-E2-bovine serum albumine conjugate was used. Based on 6-CMO-E2 and 6-amino-E2, four biotinylated tracers with two different spacer lengths between E2 and biotin were synthesized using biotinylation reagents in one step reactions. All amino-based tracers were unsuitable for assay development because the antibody binding was too weak compared to the analyte E2. For 6-CMO-based tracers the simultaneous binding of the tracer to the antibody and streptavidin seems to be the determining step in the procedure depending on incubation temperature and spacer lengths. While a short spacer of 9 carbon atoms was susceptible to room temperature, a longer spacer of 16 carbon atoms showed nearly the same results for incubation at 4 degrees C or at room temperature. The absolute detection limit of this system was 0.63 pg/well. For sample clean-up, porcine plasma was solvent-extracted and depending on the initial plasma volume further purified by solvent partition. Determination of reproducibility resulted in intraassay coefficients of variation of 13% and 5.3% for samples with E2-levels of 15 pg/ml and 236 pg/ml, respectively. Measurement of E2-spiked blood plasma revealed recoveries of 83% up to 100% for E2 concentrations between 50 pg/ml and 1000 pg/ml. Only for the lowest concentration (20 pg/ml) a recovery of 58% was observed. Correlation of the EIA with an established radio immunoassay resulted in r=0.991 using the same antibody.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

A continuous spectrophotometric assay for the hepatitis C virus serine protease.

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) encodes a chymotrypsin-like serine protease responsible for the processing of HCV nonstructural proteins and which is a promising target for antiviral intervention. Its relatively low catalytic efficiency has made standard approaches to continuous assay development only modestly successful. In this report, four continuous spectrophotometric substrates suitable for both high-throughput screening and detailed kinetic analysis are described. One of these substrates, Ac-DTEDVVP(Nva)-O-4-phenylazophenyl ester, is hydrolyzed by HCV protease with a second-order rate constant (kcat/Km) of 80,000 +/- 10,000 M-1 s-1. Together with its negligible rate of nonenzymatic hydrolysis under assay conditions (0.01 h-1), analysis of as little as 2 nM protease can be completed in under 10 min.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1992

A monoclonal antibody-based immunodiagnostic assay for onchocerciasis.

Five murine monoclonal antibodies raised against Onchocerca volvulus cuticular extracts and termed MOVs (1-4 and 6) were selected based on reactivity with O. volvulus cryosections, and non-reactivity with cryosections of human skin and/or nodular tissue. Two others MOVs 5 and 7 reacted with both. Using the peroxidase-anti- peroxidase (PAP) histochemical method, the target epitopes of MOV 1 were located in the cuticle's basal and cortical layers, those of MOV 2 in the cortical layer; whilst MOV 3-7 stained the basal layer. A sandwich ELISA was then developed. The trapping polyclonal antibody was raised in rabbits utilising the same antigens as for preparation of the MOVs. Once captured on microtiter plates, target antigens were identified by the sequential binding of a MOV, followed by a goat anti-mouse globulin/peroxidase or alkaline phosphatase conjugate that catalysed a colorimetric reaction in the presence of appropriate substrates. In this system, MOV 1 emerged as the most specific and potent reagent capable of recognizing antigens of Onchocerca sp. with a minimal detection limit of 78 ng per test. MOV 1, failed to react with extracts of Loa Loa, Ascaris lumbricoides and Ascaris suum in the test. The developed assay relied on the use of MOV 1, required only 1 ml of urine or 0.05 ml serum. About 97.8% of the 47 urines and 50% of the 20 sera from patients studied gave positive results. Only 1 (3%) of 32 control urines and up to 80% of the 10 control sera studied tested positive, suggesting urine as a better specimen source.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Differential macrophage-mediated cytotoxicity to P388 leukemia cells and its drug-resistant cells examined by a new MTT assay.

After activation by interferon-gamma (INF-gamma) and lipopolysaccharide(LPS), mouse peritoneal macrophages were cocultured with P388 parental cell line (P388/PRT) and its adriamycin (ADM)-, cisplatin(CDDP)-, cyclophosphamide(CPM)-, and mitomycin-C(MMC)-resistant cell lines for one day at effector:target ratios (E:T) of 10:1, 5:1, and 2:1. The direct 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) cleavage assay and a new indirect MTT assay as well as clonogenic assay were used to quantitate activated macrophage-mediated cytotoxicity to these non-adherent leukemia targets. The results revealed that all the P388 cell lines can be suppressed efficiently by activated macrophages, but P388 CPM- and MMC-resistant cell lines (P388/CPM, P388/MMC) were more susceptible than P388/PRT while P388 ADM- and CDDP-resistant cell lines (P388/ADM, P388/CDDP) shared equal level of survival rates with P388/PRT. This study also showed that both non-activated and activated macrophages can produce formazan in a high level, which can interfere with the final results of direct MTT assay. The new indirect MTT assay can avoid such interference by separating the effectors from the targets before performing the MTT assay and reflects the real viability of the targets so the indirect MTT assay developed in this study could be a better way to examine cytostatic and cytotoxic effect of activated macrophages on non-adherent tumor cells in vitro.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

In vitro chemosensitivity testing of leukemic cells: development of a semiautomated colorimetric assay.

A rapid chemosensitivity assay was developed, employing the human continuous leukemic cell lines HL 60, K 562, FLG 29.1. This automated colorimetric assay is based on the characteristic of viable, metabolically active cells to cleave p-iodonitrotetrazolium violet (INT) into a red formazan derivative, whose optical density is readable at 492 nm by an automated microtiter-plate reader photometer. A linear relationship was found between the viable cell number and the optical density of INT cleaved by the cellular samples. Dead cells did not reduce INT and did not interfere with the formazan derivative generation and the photometric reading. Leukemic cell lines were also tested for INT formazan derivative generation after exposure to antileukemic drugs at various concentrations, representative of plasma levels obtainable in vivo. A dose-dependent inhibition was detected, with different sensitivity patterns, related both to the drugs and to the different cell lines. A significant correlation between the viable cell number and the amount of tetrazolium salt cleaved was also demonstrated after drug exposure. INT assay allows the processing of a great number of samples and gives the opportunity to screen several drugs, saving time and yielding fully reliable results.

Autoanalysis↗

PubMed2000

Genomics: from novel genes to new therapeutics in parasitology.

The advent of rapid DNA sequencing technologies is generating vast quantities of raw genomic information ranging from in-depth analysis of the expressed genes to complete sequencing of genomes at an increasing rate (bioinformatics). However, it is the functional characterisation of a specific gene product that is the key limiting factor for validation as targets for high throughput assay development. The challenge is to obtain the raw genomic information from parasites of economic importance and to effectively integrate broad technologies such as gene disruption and over-expression, DNA arrays, proteomics, antisense RNAs, with bioinformatics in a timely fashion to identify relevant biological targets. Screening of validated targets in a strategy that includes large numbers of chemistries with high diversity and predictive in vitro and in vivo assays should permit the successful identification of novel chemical entities with high specificity to the target parasite. It is proposed that this rational approach will permit the identification of new antiparasitic therapies able to surpass the current toxicological, environmental, and economic challenges of the marketplace.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Effects of metal elements on beta-hexosaminidase release from rat basophilic leukemia cells (RBL-2H3).

Immediate allergy is caused by a chemical mediator released from basophile and mast cells via cell degranulation due to reaction between an immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody, bound with the IgE receptor on the cell membrane, and an antigen. The present authors have established a new method for assaying the enzyme activity of beta-hexosaminidase as an index of chemical mediator release. Using cultured cells instead of conventional methods based on histamine release from mast cells, the present method permits highly accurate mass screening since it uses a well-established cell line of rat basophilic leukemia cells (RBL-2H3). The effects of metal elements on immediate allergic reaction were evaluated using a newly developed assay system. A total of 38 metal elements were investigated for effects on immediate allergic reactions in vitro. These elements were classified by five types on the basis of action on beta-hexosanimidase release: 1) those which showed very strong inhibitory action, such as ZnCl2 and ZrCl4, 2) those which showed relatively strong inhibitory action, such as CdCl2 and CuCl2, 3) those which showed relatively weak inhibitory action, such as CoCl2 and Pb(NO3)2, 4) those which showed neither inhibitory nor promoting action, such as MnCl2 and SrCl2, and 5) AgNO3, which alone showed promoting action.

Animals↗