,
2000), Afatinib order PLA2 clone A85/9-4 (Kanashiro et al., 2002), and hemorrhagin (Zn-metalloproteinase) clone 59/2-E4 (Barros et al., 1998) of B. atrox snake venom were cultured with DMEN-F12 medium, supplemented with 10% FCS and 10 μg/mL gentamicin. Each culture was expanded and 1 × 106 cells were inoculated i.p. in adult BALB/c mice previously i.p. injected with 400 μl mineral oil. After ten days, mice were euthanized by CO2 inhalation, and the ascitic fluid was collected by abdominal puncture. Monoclonal antibodies were purified with caprylic acid followed by ammonium sulfate precipitation (Steinbuch et al., 1970). Briefly, ascitic fluid was diluted 1:3 in 60 mM sodium acetate buffer, pH 4.0, and 0.4 mL caprylic acid was added under agitation for 30 min at room temperature for each 10 mL of ascitic fluid. The mixture was centrifuged at learn more 5000× g for 1 h and the supernatant was collected. After centrifugation, the pH of supernatant was adjusted to 7.0 and ammonium sulfate was added under agitation to achieve a 45% concentration (w/v), and the mixture allowed to stand at 4 °C overnight. Precipitates were recovered by centrifugation at 5000× g for 30 min, redissolved
and dialyzed against saline 0.9%, and immunochemically analyzed by SDS-PAGE and Western blot. Samples of dialyzed mAbs were subjected to 12% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), according to the method described by Laemmli (1970) with modifications. The samples were dissolved in sample buffer (0.5 M Tris–HCl buffer, pH 6.8 plus 10% SDS, 10% 2-β-mercaptoethanol, and 0.5% bromophenol blue dye), boiled at 100 °C, loaded on 12% polyacrylamide gel, and run at 150 v. Protein bands were stained with Coomassie brilliant blue and subjected to computerized densitometric analysis (Bozzo and Retamal, 1991). Western blot was performed, according to a previously described method (Towbin et al., 1979).
Binding ability of the purified mAbs to the respective antigen was evaluated by ELISA test, according to the methodology described by Almeida et al. (1998). Briefly, B. atrox venom (10 μg/mL) or enriched fraction click here of thrombin-like toxin (10 μg/mL) was diluted in 0.1 M carbonate/bicarbonate buffer (pH 9.6) and adsorbed to the ELISA plate. After a blocking step with gelatin, mAbs were diluted and added to wells. ELISA plates were incubated at 37 °C for 45 min followed by the addition of secondary antibody. The reaction was developed with o-phenylenediamine plus hydrogen peroxide, and color development was stopped with 50 μL 3 N H2SO4. Plates were read spectrophotometrically at 490 nm. Forty micrograms of myotoxic PLA2 from B. atrox venom, purified according to the method described by Kanashiro et al. (2002), were preincubated with 140 μg A85/9-4 mAb, and then aliquots of the mixtures were injected into the gastrocnemius muscle of five Swiss mice.