Abrogation of reaginic antibodies with modified allergens

Abstract

ALLERGIC diseases such as hay fever, extrinsic asthma, drug hypersensitivities and some forms of urticaria are mediated by allergen-specific antibodies of the IgE class, known also as reagins. Specific suppression of the IgE antibodies to haptens and protein antigens has been achieved recently by injection of conjugates of haptens with non-immunogenic carriers^1–5 or by appropriately modified allergens^6–8. Here we describe a new method for converting a well defined protein antigen, such as ovalbumin (OA), or the mixture of the non-dialysable allergenic constituents of the aqueous extract of ragweed pollen (RAG), to tolerogenic and non-allergenic products which are capable of abrogating the primary as well as ongoing IgE responses to the corresponding native allergens in B₃D₂F₁ mice and rats. Our method involves the covalent coupling of the allergens to the non-immunogenic, hydrophilic polymer, polyethylene glycol (PEG); this approach was inspired by the report that coupling of PEG to catalase and bovine serum albumin resulted in loss of the immunogenicity of these proteins⁹.