Preparation and immunological properties of procaine-protein conjugates

Procaine was conjugated to BSA and rat and rabbit Gf using the carbodiimide method and 14C-procaine as tracer. The composition of the conjugates could be varied depending on the time of incubation and the concentration of procaine in the reaction mixtures. Procaine-BSA conjugates were soluble in water or saline. However, procaine conjugates to rat or rabbit Gf were not readily soluble in saline. These conjugates were good for immunization purposes, but it was cumbersome to work with them when clear solutions were needed, as in the immunochemical procedures used in this study. The immunological properties of the conjugates were studied in rats and rabbits. Rats responded with production of IgGa and precipitating antibodies to the procaine group, but IgE antibodies to the immunogen could not be detected. Furthermore, precipitating antibodies towards the procaine group were raised in rabbits. When BSA was the protein carrier, antibodies to the carrier molecule were also detected in both rats and rabbits. The conjugates of procaine to rat or rabbit Gf did not elicit antibody response to the carrier molecule when used in the homologous species. Hapten inhibition studies suggested that, in the rabbit, antibodies were also produced with specificity directed towards the molecular configuration of the hapten-carrier bond. (author)