Abstract
Background: The introduction of foreign proteins from animal lung-based surfactants into the airways of premature infants may provide an antigenic stimulus with a possible immunological response to these proteins. Recently the Butantan Institute (Brazil) produced a porcine pulmonary surfactant preparation obtained by organic extraction coupled with adsorption on a cellulose derivative, composed mainly by phospholipids with two hydrophobic polypeptides, SP-B and SP-C. This new surfactant contains 76% of phosphatidylcholine, 6–8% of phosphatidylethanolamine, 6% of phosphatidylinositol + phosphatidylserine, and 4–6% of sphingomyelin; 30–35% of the phosphatidylcholine was dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine. The total content of protein is 5.6% of the surfactant preparation. The objective of this study was to analyze in rabbits the immunogenicity of the Butantan Institute surfactant preparation compared with commercial available lung surfactant preparations.
Methods: Study design: 16 1000g-weight New-Zealand-White rabbits were divided into 4 groups according to the type of surfactant administered intratracheally (100mg/kg): Survanta (Abbott Laboratories), Curosurf (Farmalab Chiesi Pharmaceutical) or Butantan. Animals in the control group received no surfactant treatment. All animals were bled immediately before, 60 and 180 days after surfactant administration. Detection of anti-surfactant antibodies: sera were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); after coating ELISA plates with Butantan Institute surfactant preparation, Survanta, and Curosurf, the sera of the animals from the 4 groups were tested in triplicate for each time point. An anti-rabbit peroxidase conjugate was used as second antibody. Statistical analysis: ANOVA one-way was performed to analyze the differences among the mean of the optical densities obtained before, 2 and 6 months after treatment. Student-Newman-Keuls test was performed as a post-disciminatory test. Significant level was set at p < 0.05.
Results: The optical densities obtained in the animal sera for each study group are presented in the figure below: INCLUDEPICTURE \d \z “Images\\04090413\\98 1.img”
Conclusion: All the surfactants analyzed did not trigger an immunological response against its components in the animals.
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Precioso, A., Mascaretti, R., Kubrusly, F. et al. 222 Analysis of The Immunogenicity of A New Porcine Lung Surfactant Using The Rabbit Model. Pediatr Res 56, 501 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-200409000-00245
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-200409000-00245