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D Sesardic

Publications and source records attributed to D Sesardic.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Diphtheria immunity in UK blood donors.

Immunity to diphtheria was determined in serum samples from 1000 UK-born blood donors at the North London Blood Transfusion Centre during a three-month period in 1993; 125 women and 125 men were stratified in 10-year age groups, from 20 to 59. A tissue (vero cell)-culture toxin-neutralisation assay was used to measure serum diphtheria antitoxin concentrations. According to internationally accepted definitions (antitoxin < 0.01 IU/mL = susceptibility, 0.01-0.09 IU/mL = basic protection, and > or = 0.1 IU/mL = full protection), 37.6% of donors were susceptible to diphtheria, 31.5% had basic protection, and 30.9% were fully protected. Log-linear modelling of the influence of age and sex on population immunity showed a significant trend (p < 0.001) of decreasing immunity with increasing age: 25.2% of donors aged 20-29 were susceptible compared with 52.8% of those aged 50-59. There was a small sex effect (p = 0.052); similar proportions of men and women were susceptible, but fewer women had full protection. There was no age-sex interaction on immunity (p = 0.454). Our results suggest that booster immunisation of adults is necessary to increase herd immunity of the adult population.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Immunological detection of Clostridium botulinum toxin type A in therapeutic preparations.

The potent neurotoxins produced by strains of Clostridium botulinum act by blocking the release of acetylcholine from peripheral nerve junctions. This specific action of the botulinum neurotoxins is now being exploited therapeutically to treat a variety of conditions involving involuntary muscle spasms. We aimed to develop a sensitive and specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) which may be used in parallel with the currently accepted mouse bioassay test for the determination of botulinum neurotoxin type A in therapeutic preparations. High titre polyclonal antitoxins and their biotin derivatives, highly labelled horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-antibody conjugates, and streptavidin-biotin-HRP complexes were prepared and used in a sandwich ELISA for the detection of pure neurotoxin and neurotoxin in therapeutic material. The ELISA utilized either a monoclonal or polyclonal antibody as capture agent and HRP-labelled IgG or F(ab')2 fragment as second antibody. The limit of detection was 4-8 pg of purified toxin/ml (gcv < 13%), equivalent to 1-2 mouse bioassay units/ml. The assay was used to evaluate therapeutic preparations and the results compared with the mouse bioassay. The lower limit of detection for a therapeutic preparation of BoTxA was 2-5 mouse bioassay units/ml. Although across different manufacturers and bulk products there was no correlation between immunologically detected neurotoxin and its biological activity in different therapeutic preparations (r = -0.44, p = 0.34, n = 8), the assay could be used to quantify neurotoxin in therapeutic preparations derived from the same bulk concentrate and manufacturer. The assay is relatively simple, and may be readily adapted to routine monitoring of BoTxA content in therapeutic preparations.

Antibodies↗
PubMed1994

Combination of DTP and Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccines can affect laboratory evaluation of potency and immunogenicity.

A commonly used Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (whole-cell) vaccine was combined with each of three different Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) capsular polysaccharide vaccines. Each Hib vaccine incorporated one of three different protein conjugates: tetanus toxoid, diphtheria CRM197 toxoid or group B Neisseria meningitidis outer membrane vesicles. The effects of these combinations on the subsequent laboratory control testing were examined. The addition of the Hib vaccines had no significant effect on the reactogenicity or the potency of the whole-cell pertussis component. The potency of, and antibody responses to, the diphtheria component were also unaffected in all three combinations. However, combination with the Hib vaccine comprising polysaccharide conjugated to tetanus toxoid had dramatic effects on tetanus potency and immunogenicity when assayed in mice. This combination resulted in a five-fold potentiation of the tetanus potency and a similarly large increase in the antibody responses to tetanus toxin and toxoid. The level of the antibody response to the Hib polysaccharide in this vaccine was also elevated, more than 20-fold, as a result of the combination. Such phenomena were not evident with combinations involving the other two Hib vaccines. These results have implications for the control testing of combined vaccines containing a whole-cell pertussis component and Hib polysaccharide-tetanus protein conjugate vaccine.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Interaction of Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccines with diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine in control tests.

The effects of combining three Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) capsular polysaccharide vaccines, conjugated to different proteins, with DTP vaccine on the subsequent control testing were examined. The addition of the Hib vaccines had little effect on the reactogenicity or the potency of the whole-cell pertussis component. The potency of, and antibody responses to, the diphtheria component were also unaffected in all three combinations. However, combination with the Hib vaccine comprising polysaccharide conjugated to tetanus toxoid resulted in a fivefold potentiation of the tetanus potency and large increases in the antibody responses to tetanus toxin and toxoid and Hib polysaccharide. These results have implications for the control testing of combined vaccines containing a whole-cell pertussis component and Hib polysaccharide-tetanus protein conjugate vaccine.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Botulinum toxin.

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Animals↗
PubMed1993

The First International Standard for Antitetanus Immunoglobulin, Human; pharmaceutical evaluation and international collaborative study.

The First International Standard (IS) for Antitetanus Immunoglobulin, Human (coded 26/488) was established by the WHO Expert Committee on Biological Standardization in October 1992 on the basis of an extensive pharmaceutical evaluation and an international collaborative study. Fifteen laboratories from 15 countries performed the toxin neutralization assay in vivo in the study. Twelve laboratories also performed an alternative in vitro assay. The new International Standard is a purified human immunoglobulin containing antibodies which are able to neutralize tetanus toxin. This new standard replaces the Second International Standard for Tetanus antitoxin, Equine, for testing of human antitetanus immunoglobulin preparations used clinically as well as for titration of human serum samples for tetanus antitoxin. The new International Standard was assigned a potency of 120 International Units (IU) of Tetanus Antitoxin per ampoule on the basis of its calibration in terms of the International Unit defined by the Second International Standard for Tetanus Antitoxin, Equine by toxin neutralization assay in vivo. The same preparation was also established as the first European Pharmacopoeia Standard for Antitetanus Immunoglobulin, Human by the European Pharmacopoeia Commission, Biological Standardization Programme in March 1993.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Expression of meningococcal epitopes in LamB of Escherichia coli and the stimulation of serosubtype-specific antibody responses.

The class 1 outer membrane protein (OMP), a major variable surface antigen of Neisseria meningitidis, is a component of novel meningococcal vaccines currently in field trials. Serological variants of the protein are also used to serosubtype meningococci. Most of the amino acid changes that give rise to antigenic variants of the protein occur in two variable regions (VR1 and VR2) that are thought to form loops on the cell surface. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify the nucleotide sequences encoding VR1 and VR2 from the chromosomal DNA of N. meningitidis strain M1080. These were cloned in frame into the lamB gene of the Escherichia coli expression vector pAJC264. Whole-cell enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), using monoclonal antibodies, and SDS-PAGE confirmed that, upon induction, strains of E. coli carrying these constructs expressed hybrid LamB proteins containing the N. meningitidis surface loops. These strains were used to immunize rabbits and the resultant polyclonal antisera reacted specifically with the class 1 OMP of reference strain M1080 (P1.7). Immunogold labelling of meningococcal cells and whole-cell dot-blot analyses with these antisera showed that the variable epitopes were exposed on the cell surface and confirmed that this approach could be used to obtain serosubtype-specific antisera. The binding profiles of the antisera were determined from their reactions with overlapping synthetic peptides and their reactivity compared with that of relevant serosubtype-specific monoclonal antibodies. This approach was used successfully to raise antisera against two other class 1 OMP VR2s. A fourth antiserum raised against a VR2, including the P1.1 epitope, was not subtype specific.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Identification of the epitope of a monoclonal antibody which binds to several cytochromes P450 in the CYP1A subfamily.

The monoclonal antibody, 3/4/2, which was raised against purified rat cytochrome P450 isoenzyme 1A1 (CYP1A1) binds to cytochromes P4501A in many species. It was shown by immunoblotting that the antibody binds to CYP1A1 in microsomal fractions prepared from rat, mouse, rabbit, hamster and human. The antibody also binds to cytochrome P450 isoenzyme 1A2 in microsomal fractions prepared from rabbit and human, but not rat or mouse. Using purified isoenzymes in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay it was found that the affinity of binding to the two rabbit hydrocarbon-inducible isoenzymes is reduced compared with that for rat CYP1A1. Binding is not affected by denaturation of the antigens. The effects of chemical and enzymatic treatments on rat CYP1A1 showed that the epitope contains a trypsin-sensitive site that includes arginine, but lacks lysine. The epitope does not contain methionine, cysteine, aspartic acid or glutamic acid residues. In addition, digestion of the protein with cyanogen bromide produces a fragment of Mr 20,000 which contains the antibody binding site. By comparing the cross-reactivity of the antibody with the primary structures of CYP1A1 and 1A2 from the rat, mouse, rabbit and human, and by considering the results of the chemical and enzymatic treatments, it was possible to deduce the likely location and structure of the binding site of 3/4/2 on members of the CYP1A subfamily. It is concluded that the epitope for this antibody is Phe-Arg-His-Ser-Ser-Phe, which lies at positions 380-385 in rat CYP1A1. Further, it is predicted from a model of the tertiary structure of eukaryotic cytochrome P450 that a part of this binding site lies within a helix in the native protein.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Targeting of specific domains of diphtheria toxin by site-directed antibodies.

Antibodies highly selective for two functionally distinct regions of diphtheria toxin (DTx) were prepared using synthetic peptide conjugates as immunogens. Three peptides were selected for synthesis: sequence DTx141-157 on fragment A, which contains the putative protein elongation factor (EF-2) ADP-ribosyltransferase site; DTx224-237 on fragment B, selected on the basis of forming a predicted surface loop; and DTx513-526 on fragment B, forming a part of the region containing the putative receptor binding domain. All of the anti-peptide antibodies recognized the corresponding peptide, and also reacted with the toxin, specifically with the fragment containing the sequence against which they were raised, confirming the utility of this approach in generating fragment-specific antibodies. The anti-peptide antibody with the highest binding titre both to the peptide and to the native toxin was the one prepared against the sequence with the highest surface and loop likelihood indices of the three peptides selected. The similarity of the reactivity profiles with peptide and native and denatured toxin is consistent with the prediction that the region selected occurs in a surface loop and that the structure of the peptide is similar to the conformation of this region in the native protein. The epitopes for two of the anti-peptide antibodies were mapped. The results indicated that even though the antisera were raised to peptides containing 14 amino acids (aa) they were directed predominantly against a narrow region within the peptide, consisting of only 5-6 aa residues.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

An anti-peptide antibody targeted to a specific region of rat cytochrome P-450IA2 inhibits enzyme activity.

An anti-peptide antibody has been produced which binds to and specifically inhibits the activity of cytochrome P-450IA2 in rat hepatic microsomes. This was achieved by raising an antibody against a synthetic peptide (Ser-Glu-Asn-Tyr-Lys-Asp-Asn), the sequence of which occurs in cytochrome P-450IA2 at positions 290-296. The selection of this region of cytochrome P-450IA2 was based on several criteria, including prediction of surface and loop areas, identification of variable regions between cytochromes P-450IA2 and P-450IA1, and consideration of a site on cytochrome P-450IA1 where chemical modification has been shown to cause substantial enzyme inactivation. The specificity of antibody binding was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and by immunoblotting using hepatic microsomal preparations and purified cytochrome P-450 isoenzymes. This showed that the antibody binds specifically to rat and mouse cytochrome P-450IA2 and to no other cytochrome P-450, as was predicted from the amino acid sequences of the peptide and the cytochromes P-450. The effect of the antibody upon enzyme activity was studied in hepatic microsomes from rats treated with 3-methylcholanthrene. The antibody was shown to inhibit specifically the activity of reactions catalysed by cytochrome P-450IA2 (phenacetin O-de-ethylase and 2-acetylaminofluorene activation), but had no effect on aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity, which is catalysed by cytochrome P-450IA1, or on aflatoxin B1 activation.

2-Acetylaminofluorene↗
PubMed1990

High affinity phenacetin O-deethylase is catalysed specifically by cytochrome P450d (P450IA2) in the liver of the rat.

Phenacetin is metabolized primarily by O-deethylation to paracetamol (POD activity), a reaction catalysed by cytochrome P450. The high affinity component of POD activity is inducible in rat liver by treatment of the animals with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Following treatment with hydrocarbons such as 3-methylcholanthrene (MC) and isosafrole (ISF) both cytochromes P450c (P450IA1) and P450d (P450IA2) are also induced in rat liver. Studies with the reconstituted enzymes have shown that both forms of P450 catalyse phenacetin O-deethylation at rates that exceeded that of the high affinity component of activity of hepatic microsomal preparations from 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats (at 4 microM phenacetin: P450c, 440 +/- 40 pmol/nmol/min; P450d, 1030 +/- 10 pmol/nmol/min; microsomal fraction, 163 pmol/mg/min). Specific inhibitory antibodies (both monoclonal and monospecific polyclonal) were used to define the specificity of microsomal POD activity. These studies have shown that hepatic high affinity POD activity is exclusively catalysed by cytochrome P450d in both untreated rats and in rats pretreated with MC.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

The inducibility and catalytic activity of cytochromes P450c (P450IA1) and P450d (P450IA2) in rat tissues.

The metabolism of phenacetin is primarily by cytochrome P450-dependent O-deethylation to paracetamol (POD activity). In untreated rats, microsomal POD activity is detectable in both the liver and lung, but not in the small intestine or the kidney. POD activity is highly induced in both hepatic and extrahepatic tissues of the rat following treatment with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as 3-methylcholanthrene (MC). Only cytochrome P450c (P450IA1) is inducible in rat extrahepatic tissues by MC or isosafrole, whereas in the liver both cytochromes P450c and P450d (P450IA2) are inducible by these compounds. Specific antibodies to cytochromes P450c and P450d were used to study the expression and function of these two related isoenzymes in rat liver and extrahepatic tissues before and after induction with MC. Whereas cytochrome P450d is responsible for all of the high affinity POD activity in hepatic microsomal fractions of both untreated and MC treated rats, this activity is mediated only by P450c in microsomal fractions from extrahepatic tissues following MC treatment. POD activity of microsomal fractions from lung of untreated rats was not mediated by either cytochrome P450c or P450d.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Differential expression and regulation of members of the cytochrome P450IA gene subfamily in human tissues.

Cigarette smoking increases phenacetin O-deethylase (POD) activity in both the liver and placenta in man, but aryl hydrocarbon (benzo[a]pyrene) hydroxylase (AHH) activity is increased only in the placenta. Whilst there was no correlation between hepatic POD and AHH activities (rs = 0.42, P greater than 0.1), there was a highly significant correlation between these two activities in placenta (rs = 0.76, P less than 0.02). On Western blotting of human liver samples with an antibody specific to cytochrome P450IA2 in the rat, only the orthologue of P450IA2 could be detected. This antibody inhibited greater than 70% of hepatic high-affinity POD activity but had no effect on the placental activity. Furafylline, a methylxanthine that acts as a highly specific inhibitor of P450IA2-dependent activities in man, inhibited all of the high-affinity component of POD activity in human liver, but was at least three orders of magnitude less potent an inhibitor of placental POD and of both hepatic and placental AHH activities. As previously shown in the rat, exposure of man to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, present in cigarette smoke, differentially induces P450IA2 in the liver and P450IA1 in extrahepatic tissues, at least in the placenta. Again, as in the rat, POD activity in the liver is catalysed by P450IA2, but in the placenta of women exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in cigarette smoke POD activity is catalysed by another isoenzyme, most likely P450IA1. Thus, tissue-dependent induction and substrate specificity of members of the P450IA family in man, at least in the placenta, appear to be the same as previously shown in the rat.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Furafylline is a potent and selective inhibitor of cytochrome P450IA2 in man.

1. Furafylline (1,8-dimethyl-3-(2'-furfuryl)methylxanthine) is a methylxanthine derivative that was introduced as a long-acting replacement for theophylline in the treatment of asthma. Administration of furafylline was associated with an elevation in plasma levels of caffeine, due to inhibition of caffeine oxidation, a reaction catalysed by one or more hydrocarbon-inducible isoenzymes of P450. We have now investigated the selectivity of inhibition of human monooxygenase activities by furafylline. 2. Furafylline was a potent, non-competitive inhibitor of high affinity phenacetin O-deethylase activity of microsomal fractions of human liver, a reaction catalysed by P450IA2, with an IC50 value of 0.07 microM. 3. Furafylline had either very little or no effect on human monooxygenase activities catalysed by other isoenzymes of P450, including P450IID1, P450IIC, P450IIA. Of particular interest, furafylline did not inhibit P450IA1, assessed from aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity of placental samples from women who smoked cigarettes. 4. It is concluded that furafylline is a highly selective inhibitor of P450IA2 in man. 5. Furafylline was a potent inhibitor of the N3-demethylation of caffeine and of a component of the N1- and N7-demethylation. This confirms earlier suggestions that caffeine is a selective substrate of a hydrocarbon-inducible isoenzyme of P450 in man, and identifies this as P450IA2. Thus, caffeine N3-demethylation should provide a good measure of the activity of P450IA in vivo in man. 6. Although furafylline selectively inhibited P450IA2, relative to P450IA1, in the rat, this was at 1000-times the concentration required to inhibit the human isoenzyme, suggesting a major difference in the active site geometry between the human and the rat orthologues of P50IA2.

Adolescent↗