Dissociation of Some Injected Antigen-Antibody Complexes in vivo

Abstract

Summary

When rabbits are injected with antigen-antibody complexes in which the antibody moiety is labeled with I¹³¹, no difference is found in its clearance from blood between animals sensitized to the antigen and normal controls. This finding is quite different from previous results when similar complexes with the antigen moiety labeled are injected (11). In the latter case radioactivity is cleared much more rapidly in sensitized rabbits as compared to their controls. The dissociation of antigen-antibody complexes in vivo and the rapid equilibration of the labeled Ab of the injected complex with the Ab circulating in sera of sensitized rabbits are given as explanations for these findings.