Quantitative Studies on the Neutralization of Pathogenic Agents in Tissues by Circulating Antibodies

[摘要] 1. 1. When antitoxin is injected intravenously and toxin intracutaneously the result of the cutaneous test depends on the concentrations of toxin and antitoxin in the skin regardless of the absolute quantities injected.2. 2. For a given quantity of antitoxin injected intravenously its concentration in the skin is inversely proportional to the coefficient of the distribution of antitoxins between blood and skin. The latter can be calculated from a formula containing the quantity of intravenously injected antitoxin neutralizing the test-dose of toxin in the skin, the quantity of antitoxin neutralizing the test-dose of toxin when mixed with it in vitro , the volume of the plasma of the experimental animal and the volume of fluid in which the test-dose is injected.3. 3. The coefficient of distribution, calculated from that formula, has a value of approximately 22 for diphtheric and staphylococcal antitoxins.4. 4. The ratio between the quantity of antitoxin which after intravenous injection neutralizes the test-dose of toxin in the skin and the quantity which neutralizes the test-dose when mixed with it in vitro has a value of 22,000 in a rabbit of 2500 grams and of 660,000 in an adult human being of 75 kgm. This ratio, which apparently has the same value for all toxins indicates how much more antitoxin is necessary to neutralize the toxin if both components are present in different systems.

[学科分类] 生物科学（综合）