Rw. Baldwin et al., Regulation of the contact sensitivity response to urushiol with anti-urushiol monoclonal antibody ALG 991, ARCH DERM R, 291(12), 1999, pp. 652-658
The objective of the studies was to demonstrate that the contact sensitivit
y (CS) response to poison ivy/oak could be downregulated following treatmen
t with a monoclonal antibody (mAb) reacting with the allergen urushiol, Con
jugation of urushiol and its synthetic analogue 3-n-pentadecylcatechol (PDC
) to N-acetylcysteine yielded hydrosoluble derivatives which induced humora
l immune responses in BALB/c mice. Hybridomas secreting monoclonal antibodi
es (mAbs) reacting with urushiol and PDC were generated by fusion of B lymp
hocytes from immunized mice with mouse myeloma P3NS0 cells. The specificity
of mAb ALG 991 (IgM isotype) was defined by inhibition of antibody binding
by PDC analogues. This demonstrated that mAb ALG 991 reacted with the cate
chol moiety of urushiol, the region of the allergen being critically import
ant in the induction of contact dermatitis. The CS response to urushiol in
BALB/c mice was suppressed by stimulation with mAb ALG 991 and the role of
sensitized T cells, including suppressor T cells, has been considered, Supp
ression of CS was most effective with low doses (1 mu g) of mAb incorporate
d into a vaccine with Freund's adjuvant, This treatment suppressed CS respo
nses in BALB/c mice already sensitized to urushiol.