Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease usually caused by autoantibodies against the muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR). Current treatments are not specific, and thus often cause side effects. Here, we elaborate on our previous findings on antigen specific immunoadsorption towards scaling up the method as well as testing whole blood apheresis. The average percent of plasma or whole blood immunoadsorption was up to 79.5%±2.9. Moreover, neither pyrogens were co-administered nor did complement activation occur after immunoadsorption. Thus, antigen-specific apheresis of anti-AChR autoantibodies seems a safe and effective treatment for myasthenia gravis that can be scaled up for clinical testing.
Keywords: AChR; Ab; Acetylcholine receptor autoantibodies; BSA; CNBr; ECD; IPT; IVIg; Immunoadsorption; LAL; LPS; MG; Myasthenia gravis; NHS; Pyrogens; RIPA; Whole blood apheresis; a-Btx; acetylcholine receptor; antibody; bovine serum albumin; cyanogen bromide; extracellular domain; i.v; in vitro pyrogen test; intravenous; intravenous immunoglobulin; limulus amoebocyte lysate; lipopolysaccharide; myasthenia gravis; normal human serum; radioimmunoprecipitation assay; α-bungarotoxin.
Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.