Polyclonal antibodies preparation

PERA L; BRUN LR; RIGALLI A

Experimental Surgical Models in the Laboratory Rat

CRC Press - Taylor and Francis Group

Lugar: Boca Ratón, FL. USA; Año: 2009; p. 217 - 220

Polyclonal antibodies are produced by different clones of B cells in an animal phylogenetically different from that where the antigen comes from. Monoclonal antibodies, on the other hand, are produced in vitro as a consequence of the activity of a unique clone of isolated B cells. Although monoclonal antibodies have some advantages over polyclonal antibodies, the latter has higher affinity and reactivity against different epitopes of the same antigen. The production of polyclonal antibodies needs immunization, which consist of the injection of the antigen. In order to obtain an adequate response, it is necessary for the host to be phylogenetically different from the animal where the antigen comes from. The antigen must be injected in adequate amounts to obtain a proper response. Apart from the amount, purification of the antigen is important to be taken into consideration. Different techniques are available for purification of antigens, such as precipitation with salts, gel filtration, ultrafiltration, affinity chromatography, electrophoresis, ionic chromatography, etc. The combination of two or more of them is often required to obtain a suitable purity