Protection against nerve toxicity by monoclonal antibodies to the sodium channel blocker tetrodotoxin.

The sodium channel blocker, tetrodotoxin (TDT), was conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) and used to immunize BALB/c mice. Anti-TDT antibodies were detected in serum by ELISA and reached stable levels 4-5 wk after the first immunization. Spleens from immunized mice were fused with NS-1 mouse myeloma cells and approximately 9,329 resultant hybrids were screened by ELISA for reactivity to TDT. Two stable hybrids were isolated, subcloned, and characterized. These hybrids, termed TD13a1 and TD2C5, secreted specific anti-TDT antibodies that recognized TDT but not the related sodium channel blocker, saxitoxin (STX), as determined by competition ELISA. Both antibodies were of the IgG1k subclass with Ka's approaching 10(7) M-1. The inhibitory ability of these antibodies was tested by a competitive displacement assay for [3H]STX on rat brain membranes. Both antibodies strongly inhibited TDT binding to membranes. A nanomole of TD2C5 was able to bind approximately 1.8 nmol of TDT, whereas a comparable amount of TD13a1 bound half as much. Furthermore, TD2C5 was able to protect against TDT-induced reduction of peripheral nerve action potentials in rat tibial nerve when administered in situ. These antibodies thus represent potentially useful reagents for neurobiologic research, detection of toxin contamination and diagnosis of poisoning, and may provide protection against the toxicity of TDT in vivo.