Antigen-specific therapy of experimental myasthenia gravis with acetylcholine receptor-gelonin conjugates in vivo

✍ Scribed by Ina L. Urbatsch; Raimund K. M. Sterz; Klaus Peper; Wolfgang E. Trommer

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1993
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 365 KB
• Volume: 23
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0014-2980
• DOI: 10.1002/eji.1830230332

✦ Synopsis

Antigen-specific therapy of experimental myasthenia gravis with acetylcholine receptor-gelonin conjugates in viva*

Rats suffering from experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG) induced by previous immunization with foreign acetylcholine receptor (AChR) were treated with AChR-toxin conjugates using the plant toxin gelonin. This led to a marked improvement of clinical symptoms as well as a significant increase in functional AChR compared to untreated rats with EAMG as determined 6 to 10 weeks later. No therapeutic effect was observed after treatment with gelonin or AChR alone. The immune response to irrelevant control antigens was not altered by this treatment.