Massachusetts General Hospital Corporation

Other

Nichols Institute of Endocrinology, Inc.

David M Young

A new form of nerve growth factor having a molecular weight of about 116,000 and which is stable in dilute aqueous solutions is obtained from mouse submandibular gland or mouse saliva. An extract of mouse submandibular gland or mouse saliva is subjected to ion-exchange chromatography to recover a component of the gland or saliva rich in the nerve growth factor and containing proteinaceous material which does not degrade the nerve growth factor. The pure nerve growth factor is obtained by subjecting the component rich in nerve growth factor to at least one additional chromatography step, usually two to four, to recover pure nerve growth factor having a molecular weight of about 116,000.

Process for obtaining nerve growth factor

Healing of a wound is accelerated by administering a new form of nerve growth factor having a molecular weight of about 116,000 and which is stable in dilute aqueous solutions. The nerve growth factor is obtained from mouse submandibular gland or mouse saliva. An extract of mouse submandibular gland or mouse saliva is subjected to ion-exchange chromatography to recover a component of the gland or saliva rich in the nerve growth factor and containing proteinaceous material which does not degrade the nerve growth factor. The pure nerve growth factor is obtained by subjecting the component rich in nerve growth factor to at least one additional chromatography step, usually two to four, to recover pure nerve growth factor having a molecular weight of about 116,000. The nerve growth factor is applied directly to the wound.

Process for healing wounds

An antibody is prepared from a stable new form of nerve growth factor having a molecular weight of about 116,000. The pure nerve growth factor is obtained from an extract of mouse submandibular gland or mouse saliva which is subjected to ion-exchange chromatography to recover a component of the gland or saliva rich in the nerve growth factor and containing proteinaceous material which does not degrade the nerve growth factor. The component rich in nerve growth factor is subjected to at least one additional chromatography step, usually two to four, to obtain pure nerve growth factor. The pure nerve growth factor then is injected into the blood system of an animal to form the antibody which is recovered from the animal's blood serum.

Nerve growth factor antibody and process

Nerve growth factor

Substrates such as haptens and antigens, and those for receptor proteins and native circulating binding proteins are assayed by determining bacteriolysis products occasioned by bacteriophage infection of host cells, in a modification of the 'chemically modified bacteriophage assay.' Thus, a substrate such as an antigen is conjugated with bacteriophage and the conjugate competes with antigen in the specimen under assay for a limited number of binding sites on antibody. Phage conjugate surviving antibody inactivation is quantified by determining intracellular constituents of host bacteria subsequently infected by the bacteriophage remaining viable, which latter can be related to the levels of antigen originally present in the specimen. A preferred embodiment involves colorimetric assay for beta galactosidase freed by phage lysis of E. coli. Generally, the method is of sensitivity comparable to that of radioimmunoassay, but is attended by substantial advantages not common to the latter technique. The method is far less cumbersome than the plaque-containing techniques hitherto employed in bacteriophage assays.

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Sherborn, MA, United States of America

David M Young