ANTI-XYLAN SULFATE POLYCLONAL ANTISERUM AND USE THEREOF IN ELISA METHODS
20210253674 · 2021-08-19
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
G01N2400/24
PHYSICS
G01N33/53
PHYSICS
G01N33/543
PHYSICS
International classification
Abstract
The object of the present invention is an anti-xylan sulfate antiserum having an antibody titre of between 1/10000 and 1/15000, and obtainable using a specific immunization method, and use thereof in one or more ELISA methods for determining xylan sulfate levels in biological fluids.
Claims
1. Anti-xylan sulfate polyclonal antiserum having an antibody titre of between 1/10000 and 1/15000.
2. Anti-xylan sulfate polyclonal antiserum according to claim 1 obtainable by the following steps: a) performing one or more subcutaneous injection of xylan sulfate antigen complexed with methyl-BSA and emulsified with complete or incomplete Freund's adjuvant into a mammalian; and b) collecting of said polyclonal antiserum.
3. Polyclonal antiserum according to claim 1, wherein said polyclonal antiserum does not recognize unfractionated heparin (UFH), low molecular weight heparin (LMW), xylan, dextran sulfate, and glycosaminoglycans selected from heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate A, B, C, D, or E.
4. Polyclonal antiserum according to claim 2, wherein a) provides for 0.5-1.5 mg of antigen/injection.
5. Polyclonal antiserum according to claim 2, wherein said mammalian is a rabbit.
6. Polyclonal antiserum according to claim 2, wherein in step a), 5-10 subsequent injections, for a maximum period of 100-110 days are performed.
7. Polyclonal antiserum according to claim 2, wherein in step a), injections subsequent to the first one are performed at intervals of 4-40 days.
8. Polyclonal antiserum according to claim 2, wherein in step b), the polyclonal antiserum is collected from the mammalian after at least 100-110 days.
9. ELISA method for identifying and/or quantifying xylan sulfate levels in biological fluids with the polyclonal antiserum according to claim 1.
10. Direct or non-competitive ELISA method for the identification and/or quantification of xylan sulfate in biological fluids, characterized by the following steps: a. immobilization of the xylan sulfate present in the biological sample, or in titrated standard solutions, on a pre-treated solid support, through incubation for 12-20 hours at room temperature; b. blocking the aspecific binding sites by incubation with PBS containing 10% FBS for 60 minutes at room temperature; c. incubating with polyclonal antiserum according to claim 1; d. incubating with a rabbit IgG-specific antibody conjugated to an enzyme for 90 minutes at room temperature; e. incubating with a solution containing the enzymatic substrate for 5-10 minutes at room temperature; f. blocking the enzymatic reaction by addition of a denaturing solution; g. measuring the optical density of the solution; and h. calculating xylan sulfate concentration in the biological samples.
11. Competitive ELISA method for the identification and/or quantification of xylan sulfate levels in biological fluids, characterized by the following steps: a. immobilizing of xylan sulfate on a pre-treated solid support, through incubation for 12-20 hours at room temperature; b. blocking the aspecific binding sites by incubating with PBS+10% FBS for 60 minutes at room temperature; c. incubating with both the polyclonal antiserum according to claim 1, and with the biological sample or with titrated solutions of xylan sulfate, for 90 minutes at room temperature; d. incubating with a rabbit IgG-specific antibody conjugated to an enzyme for 90 minutes at room temperature; e. incubating incubation with a solution containing the enzymatic substrate for 5-10 minutes at room temperature; f. blocking the enzymatic reaction by addition of a denaturing solution; g. measuring the optical density of the solution; and h. calculating xylan sulfate concentration in the biological samples.
12. ELISA method according to claim 11, characterized in that the color intensity developed in step g) is inversely proportional to xylan sulfate amount.
13. ELISA method according to claim 11, characterized in that the polyclonal antiserum used in step c) is used at fixed concentration.
14. The polyclonal antiserum according to claim 2, wherein step a) provides for 1 mg of antigen/injection.
15. Polyclonal antiserum according to claim 2, wherein in step a), 5-10 subsequent injections, for a maximum period of 104 days are performed.
16. Polyclonal antiserum according to claim 2, wherein in step a), injections subsequent to the first one are performed at intervals of from 7 to 14 days.
17. Polyclonal antiserum according to claim 2, wherein in step b), the polyclonal antiserum is collected from the mammalian after 104 days.
18. The method according to claim 10, wherein said denaturing solution is 2N sulfuric acid.
19. The method according claim 11, wherein said denaturing solution is 2N sulfuric acid.
20. The method according to claim 13, wherein the polyclonal antiserum used in step c) is at a dilution 1:10000.
Description
DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0022]
[0023]
[0024]
[0025]
[0026]
[0027]
[0028]
[0029]
[0030]
[0031]
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0032] It has surprisingly been observed that the polyclonal antiserum obtained by subcutaneous immunization in the rabbit using an immunization protocol lasting for at least 100 days, has a significantly higher antibody titre than the antibody titre obtained with other, shorter immunization methods, and allows to develop particularly sensitive competitive and non-competitive ELISA assays for detection and/or quantification of xylan sulfate levels in biological fluids.
[0033] A clear advantage of the present invention is the greater specificity of the antibody obtained when compared to what previously reported in the literature, thus overcoming the issues encountered using the methods described in the known art.
[0034] On the basis of specific knowledge in the field, it would not have been possible to foresee that the application of the immunization protocol shown herein would have led to such a marked specificity improvement effect.
[0035] The obtaining of a high titre antiserum is an important aspect for the development of immunochemical assays, since the higher the titre, the greater the reactivity towards the antigen, with consequent lower non-specific binding and an improved signal-to-noise ratio of the assay.
[0036] Furthermore, the greater the antibody titre, the greater the dilution to be used in the test and, consequently, the lower the amount of antiserum required for the analysis of each sample and the greater the number of samples that can be analyzed.
[0037] The possibility of analyzing a large number of samples with the same antiserum has the advantage of reducing variability in the results of sample analysis obtained in studies performed at different times.
[0038] An object of the present invention is therefore an anti-xylan sulfate polyclonal antiserum having an antibody titre of between 1/10000-1/15000.
[0039] According to a preferred aspect, the anti-xylan sulfate polyclonal antiserum having an antibody titre of between 1/10000-1/15000 is obtained by the following steps:
[0040] a) one or more subcutaneous injection of xylan sulfate antigen complexed with methyl-BSA and emulsified with complete (CFA) or incomplete (IFA) Freund's adjuvant into a mammalian;
[0041] b) collecting said polyclonal antiserum.
[0042] According to the present invention, the first injection is performed with complete Freund's adjuvant, while the subsequent injections are performed with Freund's incomplete adjuvant.
[0043] In a further preferred aspect, said anti-xylan sulfate polyclonal antiserum is characterized in that it does not recognize unfractionated heparin (UFH), low molecular weight heparin (LMW), xylan, dextran sulfate, and glycosaminoglycans selected from heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate A, B, C, D, or E.
[0044] Preferably said mammal is a rabbit.
[0045] According to a preferred aspect, said polyclonal antiserum is characterized in that step a) provides for the use of 0.5-1.5 mg of antigen/injection, preferably 1 mg of antigen/injection.
[0046] According to a further preferred aspect, said polyclonal antiserum is characterized in that, in step a), 5-10 subsequent injections, for a maximum period of 100-110 days, preferably 104 days, are performed.
[0047] According to a further preferred aspect, in step a) according to the present invention, injections subsequent to the first one are performed at intervals of 4-40 days, preferably from 7 to 14 days.
[0048] According to a further preferred aspect, the aforementioned polyclonal antiserum is characterized in that, in step b), the polyclonal antiserum is isolated from the mammalian after at least 100-110 days, preferably 104 days.
[0049] According to a further preferred aspect, the immunological reactivity of the aforementioned polyclonal antiserum is due only to antibodies of the IgG subclass.
[0050] According to a further aspect, the polyclonal antiserum according to the present invention is used for the development of ELISA methods for identification and/or quantification of xylan sulfate levels in biological fluids.
[0051] Preferably, said biological fluids are selected from serum, plasma and urine.
[0052] Said ELISA method can be a direct or non-competitive ELISA method, or a competitive ELISA method.
[0053] The direct or non-competitive ELISA method according to the present invention is characterized by the following steps: [0054] a) immobilization of xylan sulfate present in the biological sample, or in titrated standard solutions, on a pre-treated solid support, through incubation for 12-20 hours at room temperature; [0055] b) blocking the aspecific binding sites by incubating with PBS containing 10% fetal calf serum (FCS) for 60 minutes at room temperature; [0056] c) incubation with polyclonal antiserum according to the present invention; [0057] d) incubation with a rabbit IgG-specific antibody conjugated to an enzyme for 90 minutes at room temperature; [0058] e) incubation with a solution containing the enzymatic substrate for 5-10 minutes at room temperature; [0059] f) blocking the enzymatic reaction by addition of a denaturing solution, preferably 2N sulfuric acid; [0060] g) measuring the optical density of the solution; [0061] h) calculating xylan sulfate concentration in the biological samples.
[0062] Preferably, the calculation of xylan sulfate contained in the biological samples is performed by non-linear regression vs. values of the samples in the standard curve.
[0063] According to a preferred aspect, the polyclonal antiserum is used at dilutions of between 1:10000 and 1:1000, more preferably 1:5000.
[0064] Preferably, the rabbit IgG-specific antibody conjugated to the enzyme is used at a dilution of between 1:3000 and 1:5000, preferably 1:3000.
[0065] Preferably, the enzymatic substrate (TMB) is used in a 1:1 solution of 0.4 mg/mL TMB and 0.02% H.sub.2O.sub.2.
[0066] Preferably, the denaturing solution is used at 2N concentration.
[0067] According to a preferred aspect, the enzyme conjugated to the IgG antibody of point d) is horseradish peroxidase or alkaline phosphatase.
[0068] According to a further preferred aspect, following steps b, c, d and e, a washing cycle of the wells with washing buffer is performed.
[0069] Preferably, the measurement of the optical density of the solution is performed by a spectrophotometer for microplates, at a wavelength specific for the enzymatic reaction product, preferably said wavelength is selected from 450 nm, 495 nm and 405 nm.
[0070] Preferably, said ELISA method is characterized in that the intensity of the color developed in point g) is directly proportional to the amount of xylan sulfate.
[0071] For the development of ELISA methods according to the present invention, a batch of xylan sulfate is selected as the reference sample (standard) and is used to prepare the standard curves.
[0072] Preferably, 7 concentrations of the standard and 3 concentrations of the sample to be tested are prepared, by preparing at least 3 replicates for each concentration of the standard and for each concentration of the sample to be tested, generally by subsequent 1:2 dilutions of the stock solutions.
[0073] The reference sample concentrations used for the standard curve generally range from 1 ng/mL to 10000 ng/mL.
[0074] Preferably, the following reference sample concentrations are used: 4, 12, 37, 111, 333, 1000 and 3000 ng/mL.
[0075] The competitive ELISA method according to the present invention is characterized by the following steps: [0076] a) immobilization of xylan sulfate on a pre-treated solid support, through incubation for 12-20 hours at room temperature; [0077] b) blocking the aspecific binding sites by incubating with PBS containing 10% FCS for 60 minutes at room temperature; [0078] c) incubation with polyclonal antiserum with a biological sample containing xylan sulfate, or with titrated solutions of xylan sulfate, for 90 minutes at room temperature; [0079] d) incubation with a rabbit IgG-specific antibody conjugated to an enzyme for 90 minutes at room temperature; [0080] e) incubation with a solution containing the enzymatic substrate for 5-10 minutes at room temperature; [0081] f) blocking the enzymatic reaction by addition of a denaturing solution, preferably 2N sulfuric acid; [0082] g) measuring the optical density of the solution; [0083] h) calculating xylan sulfate concentration in the biological samples.
[0084] Preferably, the calculation of the concentration of xylan sulfate contained in the biological samples is performed by non-linear regression vs. values of the samples in the titrated solution.
[0085] An advantage of the competitive ELISA method is that this method also allows the measurement of xylan sulfate metabolites that may not bind to poly-lysine but be nevertheless recognized by the antiserum when present in a biological sample.
[0086] According to a preferred aspect, following the steps a, b, c, d and e, a washing cycle of the wells is carried out with washing buffer.
[0087] Preferably the rabbit IgG-specific antibody conjugated to the enzyme is used at a dilution of between 1:3000 and 1:5000, preferably 1:3000.
[0088] Preferably the enzymatic substrate (TMB) is used in a 1:1 solution of 0.4 mg/mL TMB and 0.02% H.sub.2O.sub.2.
[0089] Preferably, the denaturing solution is used at 2N dilution.
[0090] According to a further preferred aspect, the polyclonal antiserum used in step c) is used in a fixed concentration, preferably at a concentration of 1:10000.
[0091] Preferably, the measurement of the optical density of the solution is measured through a spectrophotometer by plates, at a specific wavelength for the product of the enzymatic reaction, preferably said wavelength is selected from 405, 450 and 540 nm.
[0092] According to a preferred aspect, the amount of xylan sulfate used in step a) is of between 0.1 μg/well and 1 μg/well, preferably 0.1 μg/well.
[0093] Preferably, said competitive ELISA method is characterized in that the intensity of the color developed in step g) is inversely proportional to xylan sulfate amount.
[0094] Preferably, the washing buffer used in the ELISA methods of the present invention is phosphate buffer, more preferably this buffer is PBS+0.05% Tween 20.
[0095] In a further preferred aspect, the washing buffer used in the methods of the present invention comprises a mixture of phosphate buffer having a pH of between 6.5 and 8.0 with a molarity of between 50 and 200 nM, and Tween 20 in the range of between 0.01% and 0.1%.
[0096] According to a further preferred aspect, the solid support used in the ELISA methods of the present invention is treated with poly-lysine, polyvinyl sulfonate or allylamine:octadiene.
[0097] Preferably, such solid support consists of a material selected from polycarbonate, polystyrene, polypropylene, polyethylene, glass, cellulose, nitrocellulose, silica gel, or polyvinyl chloride, more preferably polystyrene.
[0098] Preferably, such solid support is selected from 96-well ELISA plates.
[0099] Preferably, the substrate dye according to the present invention is p-nitrophenylphosphate, hydrogen peroxide, o-phenylenediamine or 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB).
[0100] Preferably, the enzyme used in the ELISA methods of the present invention is selected from horseradish peroxidase or alkaline phosphatase.
[0101] Preferably, the blocking agent is selected from bovine serum albumin, fetal calf serum, gelatin or low-fat powdered milk.
[0102] Data processing according to the present invention involves a non-linear regression of the inhibition values in the standard curve consisting of at least 6 different concentrations. Preferably, a 4-parameter logistic regression, performed by specialized software (for example GraphPad Prism) is used in the ELISA methods of the present invention.
[0103] All samples are analyzed in 3 replicates. Their reactivity is expressed as IC.sub.50, i.e. the concentration of the sample determining 50% inhibition of the antiserum maximum binding.
[0104] Based on the results obtained in the experimental data section it can be concluded that: [0105] the immunization protocol used in the present invention (see below, Table 1) allows to obtain a more reactive antiserum than the antisera obtained from animals immunized intramuscularly. [0106] moreover, the subcutaneous route allows a better tolerability of the antigen emulsion based on Freund's complete adjuvant, therefore, it is, also from an ethical point of view, the preferred way to induce lesser suffering of the animal. [0107] the number and frequency of the antigen boosts used are more effective in obtaining a polyclonal antiserum as the xylan sulfate antigen has generally proved to be a low immunogenic antigen; [0108] the polyclonal antiserum obtained is highly specific for xylan sulfate and has an antibody titre of between 1/10000 and 1/15000 (
[0115] Below are some examples whose nature does not limit the applicability of the invention.
Materials and Methods
Example 1
Production of Polyclonal Antibodies
[0116] Five New Zealand White rabbits were treated, and the xylan sulfate used, complexed with methyl-BSA, was extracted “in house” from capsules of product for pharmaceutical use.
[0117] The contents of the capsules was poured into a beaker to which demineralized water was added. The suspension thus obtained was left under stirring overnight at room temperature. In the morning, the suspension was filtered under vacuum using a cellulose acetate filter and the resulting solution was then lyophilized. Identity and quality of the product obtained were evaluated by water content analysis (Karl Fisher), NMR studies and molecular weight distribution.
[0118] The antigen preparation procedure was performed as follows.
[0119] 1% methyl-BSA solution was slowly added to 1% xylan sulfate solution in water, under stirring at room temperature. After 30 minutes, the aggregate formed was separated by centrifugation (2000 rpm for 20 min), washed with PBS (1.5 mM phosphate, 0.1 M NaCl, pH 7.2) and resuspended in the same buffer at a 2 mg/mL concentration. The solution was then divided into aliquots which were kept at −20° C. until use.
[0120] The immunization was performed using xylan sulfate complexed with mBSA and emulsified in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) or incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA), at a dose of 1 mg/rabbit as shown in Table 1.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Immunization protocol with xylan sulfate in the rabbit. Immunization protocol Day 0 1 mg xylan sulfate-mBSA/rabbit First antigen injection Day 21 1 mg xylan sulfate-mBSA in Antigen boost IFA/rabbit Day 35 1 mg xylan sulfate-mBSA in Antigen boost IFA/rabbit Day 74 1 mg xylan sulfate-mBSA in Antigen boost IFA/rabbit Day 81 1 mg xylan sulfate-mBSA in Antigen boost IFA/rabbit Day 92 1 mg xylan sulfate-mBSA in Antigen boost IFA/rabbit Day 96 1 mg xylan sulfate-mBSA in Antigen boost IFA/rabbit Day 104 Serum collection Sacrifice
[0121] Two rabbits were treated intramuscularly with xylan sulfate-mBSA mixed with IFA while, based on previous experience, three rabbits were treated subcutaneously with xylan sulfate-mBSA mixed with CFA.
[0122] The antibody reactivity of each animal at the end of the study is reported in Table 2 and
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Anti-xylan sulfate antibody response of immunized rabbits at day 104, measured by “direct ”ELISA ”. Serum Pre-immune Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit Dilution Serum A B C D E 1:100 0.470* 2.335 1.526 2.362 0.846 0.785 1:300 0.139 1.849 1.462 1.975 0.676 0.620 1:900 0.121 1.532 1.206 1.820 0.659 0.526 1:2700 0.019 1.169 0.845 1.682 0.376 0.399 1:8100 0.000 0.776 0.465 1.238 0.210 0.162 1:24300 0.000 0.430 0.206 0.806 0.083 0.064 1:72900 0.000 0.248 0.099 0.502 0.043 0.037 *Absorbance (450 nm)
[0123] Based on the immune sera titrations reported above, it was decided to use the serum from rabbit C for subsequent studies.
[0124] In order to better characterize the selected polyclonal serum, the specificity for xylan sulfate was evaluated by measuring the reactivity vs. both xylan sulfate and mBSA, used as a carrier, in direct ELISA. The results obtained are shown in
[0125] The reported results show a good specificity for the polyclonal serum of rabbit C towards xylan sulfate vs. mBSA.
Example 2
Development of Direct or Non-Competitive ELISA Test
[0126] ELISA tests reported in the literature (1, 2, 3) are based on immobilization of xylan sulfate on poly-lysine coated plates.
[0127] After a few attempts at preparing the poly-lysine coated plates (based on the scarce literature information) which showed a great variability (determined as ELISA vs. xylan sulfate), it was decided to use commercial poly-lysine coated plates.
[0128] Such plates were used in all the following experiments.
[0129] The developed direct ELISA test is summarized below in its various steps: [0130] 1. Binding of xylan sulfate (standard curve: 4.1, 12.3, 37, 111, 333, 1000 and 3000 ng/mL) and xylan sulfate containing samples (100 μL/well) to poly-lysine coated plates (at room temperature overnight, 14-20 hours) [0131] 2. Three washing cycles (300 μL/well) with PBS using an automatic plate washer [0132] 3. Blocking the aspecific binding sites with 300 μL/well of PBS containing 10% FCS (60 min at room temperature) [0133] 4. Three washing cycles (as in point 2) with PBS using an automatic plate washer [0134] 5. Incubation with anti-xylan sulfate polyclonal serum (100 μL/well at the dilution of 1:5000) for 90 min at room temperature under shaking. [0135] 6. Three washing cycles (as in point 2) with PBS using an automatic plate washer [0136] 7. Incubation with 100 μL/well of a commercial anti-rabbit IgG-HRP antibody (at the dilution of 1:3000) for 90 min at room temperature under shaking [0137] 8. Three washing cycles (as in point 2) with PBS using an automatic plate washer [0138] 9. Addition of TMB substrate (1:1 solution of TMB 0.4 mg/mL and 0.02% H.sub.2O.sub.2, 100 μL/well) for 7 min at room temperature in the dark [0139] 10. Blocking the reaction with 2N sulfuric acid (50 μL/well) [0140] 11. Measuring absorbance (450 nm) by microplate spectrophotometer [0141] 12. Calculating xylan sulfate concentration in the biological sample by non-linear regression of the standard curve
[0142] Titration of polyclonal serum from Rabbit C vs. xylan sulfate performed with the optimized ELISA test is shown in
[0143] The titration curve (4.1, 12.3, 37, 111, 333, 1000 and 3000 ng/mL), obtained by non-linear regression, shows a quantitative response from 2-5 ng/mL to about 1 μg/mL of xylan sulfate (in phosphate buffer).
[0144] The test is therefore accurate in a xylan sulfate concentration range of between 2 ng/mL and 1 μg/mL.
Example 3
Development of Competitive ELISA Test
[0145] ELISA tests reported in the literature (1, 2, 3) are of a competitive type, i.e. the test evaluates the ability of xylan sulfate in solution to inhibit the polyclonal antiserum binding to xylan sulfate immobilized on the poly-lysine coated plates.
[0146] The developed competitive ELISA test is summarized below in its various steps: [0147] 1. Binding of xylan sulfate (100 μL/well) to poly-lysine coated plates (at room temperature overnight, 14-20 hours) [0148] 2. Three washing cycles (300 μL/well) with PBS using an automatic plate washer [0149] 3. Blocking the aspecific binding sites with 300 μL/well of PBS containing 10% FCS (60 min at room temperature) [0150] 4. Three washing cycles (300 μL/well) with PBS using an automatic plate washer [0151] 5. Co-incubation of anti-xylan sulfate polyclonal antiserum (50 μL/well at the dilution of 1:5000) with 50 μL of the biological sample containing xylan sulfate or with titrated xylan sulfate (standard curve: 5.2, 25.6, 128, 640, 3200 and 16000 ng/mL for 90 min at room temperature under shaking). [0152] 6. Three washing cycles (as in point 2) with PBS using an automatic plate washer [0153] 7. Incubation with 100 μL/well of a commercial anti-rabbit IgG-HRP antibody (at the dilution of 1:3000) for 90 min at room temperature under shaking [0154] 8. Three washing cycles (as in point 2) with PBS using an automatic plate washer [0155] 9. Addition of 100 μL/well of substrate (1:1 solution of TMB 0.4 mg/mL and 0.02% H.sub.2O.sub.2) for 7 min at room temperature in the dark [0156] 10. Blocking the reaction with 50 μL/well of 2N sulfuric acid [0157] 11. Measuring absorbance (450 nm) by microplate spectrophotometer [0158] 12. Calculating xylan sulfate concentration in the biological sample by non-linear regression of the standard curve
[0159] Titration of polyclonal serum from Rabbit C vs. xylan sulfate performed with such an optimized competitive ELISA test is reported in
[0160] The test is therefore accurate in a xylan sulfate concentration range of between 1 ng/mL and 10 μg/mL.
Example 4
[0161] Reactivity of the Polyclonal Antiserum Vs. Different Glycosaminoglycans or Negatively Charged Compounds (GAG, Heparins aDNA)
[0162] Since the binding to poly-lysine of the different glycosaminoglycans and negatively charged compounds under test is uncertain, the competitive ELISA test was used to determine the polyclonal antiserum specificity vs. compounds chemically similar to xylan sulfate.
[0163] 13 molecules were analyzed to which the obtained antiserum could be reactive, and the reactivity of each of them with the antiserum was evaluated in comparison with commercial xylan sulfate. The reactivity of each compound was determined as IC.sub.50 (concentration of the compound determining 50% inhibition of the maximum antiserum binding) based on the titration curve analyzed by non-linear regression.
[0164]
[0165] The overall results obtained are summarized in the following table.
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Reactivity (IC.sub.50) vs. different glycosaminoglycans of anti-xylan sulfate polyclonal antiserum from Rabbit C of Example 1. Compound IC.sub.50 (μg/mL) Xylan Sulfate 0.122 Heparin (UFH) >1000 Enoxaparin >1000 Heparan Sulfate >1000 Chondroitin Sulfate >1000 Chondroitin Sulfate A >1000 Chondroitin Sulfate C >1000 Chondroitin Sulfate E >1000 Oversulfated Chondroitin Sulfate 1.014 Dermatan Sulfate >1000 Keratan Sulfate >1000 Xylan >1000 Dextran Sulfate 19.7 DNA >1000
[0166] The results obtained clearly indicate that 11 of the 13 compounds analyzed are not recognized by the polyclonal serum (IC.sub.50>1000 μg/mL). Only oversulfated chondroitin sulfate and dextran sulfate show a slight reactivity (IC.sub.50 of 1.014 μg/mL and 19.7 μg/mL, respectively), but significantly lower compared to xylan sulfate, for which the IC.sub.50 value (0.122 μg/mL) is significantly lower.
[0167] These data confirm the good specificity of the produced polyclonal anti-serum (as summarized in Table 4) which is more selective when compared to the polyclonal serum produced in (2), which shows a strong cross-reaction with unfractionated heparin, MAb 5-B-10 produced in (1), which reacts with dextran sulfate, several chondroitin sulfates (A, B, C, D) and, in particular, with chondroitin sulfate E and with heparin UFH, and the polyclonal serum from (3) that showed interference with glycoproteins present in patients' urine.
TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Reactivity vs. different compounds of anti-xylan sulfate polyclonal antiserum from Rabbit C of Example 1 in comparison with polyclonal serum from (2) and MAb 5-B-10 of (1). Polyclonal Serum from Polyclonal MAb Rabbit C of Serum 5-B-10 Compound Example 1 from (2) from (1) Heparin UFH − +++ + Heparin LMW − n.d.* n.d. Heparan Sulfate − − − Hyaluronic Acid n.d. − n.d. Xylan − − − Chondroitin Sulfate A − − + Chondroitin Sulfate B n.d. n.d. +/− Chondroitin Sulfate C − − + Chondroitin Sulfate D n.d. n.d. + Chondroitin Sulfate E − n.d. +++ Oversulfated +/− n.d. n.d. Chondroitin Sulfate Dextran Sulfate − − +++ *n.d.: not determined.
Example 5
Analysis of Xylan Sulfate Concentration in Rat and Human Urine, and in Human Plasma.
[0168] The development of an ELISA test is needed to quantify the presence of xylan sulfate in biological fluids.
[0169] The animal study involves the evaluation of xylan sulfate levels present in both urine and plasma. In particular, xylan sulfate levels in urine are of particular importance given the therapeutic target of the drug.
[0170] Several experiments with rat urine samples supplemented with xylan sulfate and varying the experimental conditions (dilution of the urine sample and dilution of the polyclonal serum) were performed in order to obtain a reliable measurement of xylan sulfate levels.
[0171]
[0172] The results indicate that the direct ELISA test on rat urine samples has a good sensitivity (about 5 ng/mL) and a good linearity up to concentrations of about 300 ng/mL.
[0173] In a subsequent experiment, xylan sulfate “recovery”, i.e. the xylan sulfate concentration measured vs. the expected concentration, was evaluated by analyzing three replicates of rat urine samples supplemented with known amounts of xylan sulfate in a concentration range from 10 to 100 ng/mL.
[0174] The recovery of three replicates is shown in the following table.
TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Evaluation of the recovery of three different series of xylan sulfate serial samples in rat urine by direct ELISA. Expected concentration measured Xylan Xylan Xylan of xylan sulfate sulfate sulfate Mean sulfate measured Recovery measured Recovery measured Recovery Recovery (ng/mL) Replicate 1 (%) Replicate 2 (%) Replicate 3 (%) (%) 100 99.2 99.2 94.9 94.9 120.4 120.4 105 75 76.9 102.5 74.8 99.8 93.7 124.9 109 50 48.7 97.3 40.3 80.6 49.8 99.7 94 43 45.3 105.3 38.5 89.5 46.8 108.9 101 37 33.4 90.3 33.2 89.8 37.7 101.8 94 30 23.5 78.3 24.9 82.9 25.5 84.9 82 22 11.3 51.2 14 63.5 16.7 76.0 64 10 5.7 57.4 5.7 57.1 6.9 68.6 61
[0175] Xylan sulfate recovery is optimal (between 80 and 110%) in the range of doses between 30 and 100 ng/mL, while at the lower doses (range between 10 and 22 ng/mL) it is lower and equal to about 60%.
[0176] The ELISA test was therefore used with samples of human urine from a healthy donor and a representative titration curve is shown in
[0177] In a subsequent test, we compared the titration of xylan sulfate dissolved in human urine from a healthy donor to the titration of xylan sulfate in human urine from a vegetarian subject, who could have glycosaminoglycans interfering with the assay.
[0178] The results obtained, reported in
[0179] In a subsequent experiment, xylan sulfate “recovery” was evaluated by analyzing three replicates of human urine samples supplemented with known amounts of xylan sulfate in a concentration range from 0.7 to 120 ng/mL.
[0180] The calibration line of xylan sulfate in human urine is reported in
TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 Evaluation of the recovery of three different series of xylan sulfate serial samples in human urine by direct ELISA. Expected concentration measured Xylan Xylan Xylan of xylan sulfate sulfate sulfate Mean sulfate measured Recovery measured Recovery measured Recovery Recovery (ng/mL) Replicate 1 (%) Replicate 2 (%) Replicate 3 (%) (%) 120 99.84 83.20 99.69 83.08 101.73 84.77 84 75 64.03 85.37 79.71 106.28 76.75 102.33 98 43 57.47 133.65 51.89 120.68 58.09 135.10 130 22 23.72 107.84 25.09 114.03 20.51 93.22 105 5 3.60 71.90 3.57 71.36 3.89 77.89 74 0.7 1.49 212.59 1.46 208.85 1.80 257.61 226
[0181] The recovery of xylan sulfate is optimal (between 85 and 130%) in the range of doses between 22 and 100 ng/mL, while at a dose of 5 ng/mL it drops to 74%. As expected, at the lowest dose (0.7 ng/mL), outside the titration curve, the recovery is overestimated and unreliable.
[0182] The direct ELISA test was also used for the analysis of xylan sulfate levels in human plasma. At the moment, only preliminary data are available that indicate the use of this test also for these samples is feasible. The titration of xylan sulfate in human plasma is reported in
[0183] Human plasma samples containing xylan sulfate, when diluted at least 1:3, show a titration curve similar to that obtained with urine. In such a condition, the test shows a sensitivity of about 10 ng/mL.
[0184] Overall, the results obtained with urine samples, both rat and human, indicate that the direct ELISA test enables the evaluation of xylan sulfate levels in a reliable manner. Furthermore, the test is particularly sensitive for measuring the expected levels of xylan sulfate, in a concentration range from 2 ng/mL to 1 μg/mL in the direct ELISA test and in a concentration range from 1 ng/mL to 10 μg/mL in the competitive ELISA test.
REFERENCES
[0185] 1. Immunological Methods, 126 (1990) 39-49. [0186] 2. J. Immunological Methods, 166 (1991) 53-59. [0187] 3. J. Urol., 175 (3 Pt 1) (2006) 1143-1147. [0188] 4. Xenobiotica 35(8) (2005) 775-784. [0189] 5. Clinical Cancer Res. 3 (1997) 2347-2354.