PREPARATION AND PROPERTIES OF ANTIBODY POLYMERS

Crosslinked antibody polymers have been prepared by coupling reactions of anti-porphyrin antibody using glutaraldehyde. The antibody polymer s were characterized by SDS-PAGE, UV-vis spectroscopy, and enzyme-link ed immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The reaction products were found to in clude the antibody dimer, trimer, and some oligomers crosslinked mainl y in the heavy chains. Although the binding abilities of the antibody decreased about 20% during the reaction, the problem could be overcome by using the antigen as a blocking agent. The sensitivity in ELISA wa s enhanced by using the antibody polymers. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B .V. All rights reserved.