IgE antibody responses induced by repeated administration of antigens without adjuvant.

Abstract It is generally considered that the induction of IgE antibody responses in laboratory animals to parenterally injected antigens requires the simultaneous administration of an adjuvant such as Al(OH)3 gel or Bordetella pertussis vaccine. In this study, we have been able to induce IgE antibody formation in mice to antigens such as heterologous whole serum or ovalbumin by giving multiple intraperitoneal injections of these substances without any added adjuvant. The IgE responses were measured by the passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) test performed in rats. The abrogation of PCA activity by heat treatment of undiluted serum for one hour at 56 ° was confirmed. We propose that this represents an ideal model to study induction of IgE antibody formation.