Structure alteration and immunological properties of 60Co-gamma-rays irradiated bothropstoxin-I

In this work, the authors investigated the immunological behavior of bothropstoxin-I (BTHX-1), before and after irradiation process, and also the influence of scavengers substances on protein alterations induced by free radical production. Structural modifications were investigated by SDS-PAGE in reducing or non-reducing conditions. In vitro cytotoxicity assay was performed to test average toxic activities of BTHX-I. BALB/c Isogenic mice were immunized with irradiated or non-irradiated (native) forms of BTHX-I and antibody titers and isotypes were determined by ELISA method. Expression of murine cytokines was analyzed by using expression data obtained by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assays. The results indicate that irradiation of proteins leads to significant structural modifications, and also changes the cytokines profile during immunization process, regarding a suitable approach to new immunogenic production.