Polysaccharide immunotoxins

A second method of immunotoxin preparation by reductive amination involves the use a polysaccharide spacer. Soluble dextran may be oxidized with periodate to form a multifunctional crosslinking polymer. Reaction with antibodies and cytotoxic molecules in the presence of a reducing agent forms multivalent immunotoxin conjugates. The following sections discuss these options. 

PDPH has been used in the preparation of immunotoxin conjugates (Zara et al., 1991). It has also been used to create a unique conjugate of NGF with an antibody directed against the transferrin receptor OX-26, which could traverse the blood-brain barrier (Friden et al., 1993). Labeling of antibody molecules with PDPH at oxidized polysaccharide sites followed by reduction to free the sulfhydryl has been used to form a technetium-99m complex for radiopharmaceutical use (Ranadive et al., 1993) (Chapter 8, Section 2.5). 

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