APPLICATION OF LIPOSOME IMMUNE LYSIS ASSAY FOR STUDIES ON ANTIGANGLIOSIDE ANTIBODIES

In the serum from patients with certain neurological diseases, antibod ies against GM1 ganglioside are detected in high titers, suggesting th at these antibodies may be involved in the pathological process. In th is present study the liposome immune lysis assay was applied to determ ine anti-ganglioside antibodies in serum, and the results were compare d with those of the commonly used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, w here gangliosides are fixed on a solid surface. This liposome method i s based on the measurement of a fluorescent dye released from liposome s by complement-mediated immune lysis, The value of the specific relea se of a fluorescent dye from liposomes by the serum from normal contro l individuals was used as a criterion to evaluate the antibody level. The values of the specific marker release from liposomes by anti-GM1 a ntibodies were scarcely correlated with the titers of IgM or IgG antib odies measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, suggesting th at the nature of anti-GM1 antibodies detected by the two assay methods may be different. The antibodies detected by the liposome immune lysi s assay may represent those involved in membrane lysis, which occurs i n the pathogenesis of some neurological diseases.