Circulating IgG antibody to protamine in patients treated with protamine-insulins

Diabetologia. 1983 Oct;25(4):322-4. doi: 10.1007/BF00253194.

Abstract

Sera from patients with different types of protamine-insulin were assayed for IgG antibody to protamine. A high prevalence of circulating antibody was found in patients treated with either bovine isophane insulin (26 out of 28 patients; 26 of whom also had antibodies to insulin), or bovine protamine zinc insulin (27 out of 30 patients; all 30 had antibodies to insulin). In sera from 24 patients treated with highly purified porcine isophane insulin, protamine antibody was detected in nine; circulating insulin-antibody was detected in 12 patients, eight of whom had protamine-antibody; in the 12 patients with no detectable antibody to insulin, antibody to protamine was detected in only one (x2 = 8.7, p less than 0.01). This relationship between insulin and protamine antigenicity is of interest as it suggests that the protamine-insulin complex is itself immunogenic.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Diabetes Mellitus / drug therapy
  • Diabetes Mellitus / immunology*
  • Epitopes / immunology
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin G / analysis*
  • Insulin / immunology
  • Insulin Antibodies / analysis
  • Insulin, Isophane / immunology*
  • Insulin, Isophane / therapeutic use
  • Insulin, Long-Acting / immunology*
  • Insulin, Long-Acting / therapeutic use
  • Middle Aged
  • Protamines / immunology*

Substances

  • Epitopes
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Insulin
  • Insulin Antibodies
  • Insulin, Long-Acting
  • Protamines
  • Insulin, Isophane