Summary
0
-
1.
Local tetanus was produced in rats by application of sublethal doses of 125I-tetanus toxin into the right m. gastrocnemius. Radioactivity was found in the lumbar part of the spinal cord for at least 24 days which is indicative of a long-lasting binding of toxin to its target organ. Radioactivity appears in the lumbar region before local tetanus becomes manifest.
-
2.
The influence of antitoxin on both local tetanus and radioactivity of the lumbar cord heavily depends on the time of its application. When it is injected simultaneously into a foreleg, it prevents the symptoms and the spinal concentration process. When given ten hours after toxin, it does not change appreciably the severity of local tetanus; it diminishes, however, the radioactivity accumulating in the spinal cord. Antitoxin, given 48 hours after toxin, is ineffective in both respects.
-
3.
22 hours after application, about 9% of the initial radioactivity still persists in the injected leg; 50 hours after application, only 1–2% are still present.
-
4.
Plasma radioactivity is measurable for between 50 and 96 hours in animals given 125I-toxin i.m. It is higher in animals having received antitoxin 10 hours after the toxin or simultaneously with toxin.
-
5.
Labelled toxoid was prepared by formol treatment of labelled toxin. Following i.m. injection, toxoid was bound to a lesser degree and for a shorter time by the lumbar cord than was toxin. Like toxin, toxoid was found in the ipsilateral sciatic nerve, and simultaneous application of antitoxin prevented its appearance there as wells as in the lumbar cord. As with toxin, plasma radioactivity after injection of labelled toxoid was increased by simultaneous application of antitoxin into another leg.
-
6.
It is concluded that antitoxin prevents the entrance of toxin into the spinal cord, but does neither remove nor detoxify appreciable amounts of radioactive material once fixed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bizzini, B., Turpin, A., Raynaud, M.: Production et purification de la toxine tétanique. Ann. Inst. Pasteur 116, 686–712 (1969).
Fedinec, A. A.: Studies on the mode of spread of tetanus toxin in experimental animals. Proc. Second Internat. Pharmacol. Meeting 9, 125–138 (1965).
—: Absorption and distribution of tetanus toxin in experimental animals. In: Principles on tetanus, pp. 168–175. Hrsg.: L. Eckmann. Bern: Huber 1967.
Habermann, E.: Pharmakokinetische Besonderheiten des Tetanustoxins und ihre Beziehungen zur Pathogenese des lokalen bzw. generalisierten Tetanus. Naunyn-Schmiedebergs Arch. Pharmak. 267, 1–19 (1970a).
—: Ein neues Prinzip zur quantitativen Bestimmung hochmolekularer Antigene (Verknüpfungstest) und seine Anwendung auf Tetanustoxin, Serumalbumin und Ovalbumin. Z. Klin. Chem. Klin. Biochem. 8, 51–55 (1970b).
— Räker, K. O., Zeuner, G.: Solid-phase-Radio-immunassay und Blutspiegel von Staphylokokken-α-Toxin. Naunyn-Schmiedebergs Arch. Pharmak. exp. Path. 262, 165–182 (1969).
Kryzhanovskyi, G. N.: On the action of tetanus toxin as a neurotropic agent. Proc. Second Int. Pharmacol. Meeting 9, 105–113 (1965).
—: The neural pathway of toxin. In: Principles on tetanus, pp. 155–168. Hrsg.: L. Eckmann. Bern: Huber 1967.
Lamanna, O., Carr, C. J.: The botulinal, tetanal, and enterostaphylococcal toxins: a review. Clin. Pharmacol. 8, 286–332 (1967).
Mangalo, R., Bizzini, B., Turpin, A., Raynaud, M.: The molecular weights of tetanus toxin. Biochim. biophys. Acta (Amst.) 168, 583–584 (1968).
Marie, A., Tiffeneau, M.: Etude de quelques modes de neutralisation des toxines bacteriennes. Ann. Inst. Pasteru 22, 289, 644 (1908).
McConahey, P. J., Dixon, F. J.: A method of trace iodination of proteins for immunologic studies. Int. Arch. Allergy 29, 185–189 (1966).
Nakamura, R. M., Speigelberg, H. L., Lee, S., Weigle, W. O.: Relationship between molecular size and intra- and extravascular distribution of protein antigens. J. Immunol. 100, 376–383 (1968).
Pillemer, L., Moore, D. H.: The spontaneous conversion of crystalline tetanal toxin to a flocculating atoxic dimer. J. biol. Chem. 173, 427–428 (1948).
Prévot, R.: Biologie des maladies dues aux anaérobies, pp. 46–50. Paris: Flammarion 1955.
Van Heyningen, W. E., Mellanby, J.: Tetanus toxin. In: S. Kadis et al. (eds.). Microbial Toxins, Vol. III, pp. 68–108. New York-London: Academic Press 1971.
Webster, R. A., Laurence, D. R.: The effect of antitoxin on fixed and free toxin in experimental tetanus. J. Path. Bact. 86, 413–420 (1963).
Wright, E. A., Morgan, R. S., Wright, G. P.: The movements of toxin in the nervous system in experimental tetanus in rabbits. Brit. J. exp. Path. 32, 169–182 (1951).
Wright, G. P.: The neurotoxins of clostridium botulinum and clostridium tetani. Pharmacol. Rev. 7, 413–465 (1955).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Habermann, E. Distribution of 125I-tetanus toxin and 125I-toxoid in rats with local tetanus, as influenced by antitoxin. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch. Pharmacol. 272, 75–88 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00498795
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00498795