IgG Autoantibody to Human Serum Albumin Studied by the ELISA-Technique

Abstract

ELISA [enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay] was applied for analysis of the HSA[human serum albumin]-human Ig[immunoglobulin]G autoantibody system responsible for the immunoelectrophoretic Tailing Albumin (TA) phenomenon induced in most of the TA patients by prolonged nitrofurantoin therapy. Hyperimmune porcine anti-HSA and autoimmune human anti-HSA antibodies of the IgG class were detectable by ELISA. The presence of autologous or added HSA had some inhibitory effect upon the detectability of the anti-HSA antibodies. Partial elimination of the autologous HSA by sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation or salt precipitation increased or unmasked the anti-HSA activity of some TA sera. The sensitivity of the ELISA as detector of the anti-HSA autoantibodies of whole human sera was roughly equal to that of the immunoelectrophoretic TA phenomenon. The analogy of the anti-HSA autoantibodies and the rheumatoid factors and the theoretical interest of both was stressed.