Experimental model for testing the efficiency of immunotoxins administered in vivo: evaluation of two ricin A-chain — multivalent antibody immunotoxins

Two immunotoxins, the ricin A chain-multivalent hybrid antibody (750 kDa) and the complex A chain-staphylococcal protein A-rabbit IgG antibody (370 kDa), were prepared. A simple method was elaborated to test the immunotoxins' efficiency in selectively killing target cells in tumor-bearing mice. The target cell (murine EL4 leukemia) was coated with a xenogenic molecule by a method conserving its ability to proliferate and kill the inoculated animals. When the challenged animals were treated with these immunotoxins, which were specific for the antigenic molecule coating the tumor cells, survival time was lengthened compared with that of untreated animals, corresponding to a proportion of over 90% cells killed. This demonstrates the efficiency of the immunotoxins and the validity of the method elaborated.