Antigen-specific therapy of experimental myasthenia gravis with acetylcholine receptor-gelonin conjugates in vivo.

Rats suffering from experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG) induced by previous immunization with foreign acetylcholine receptor (AChR) were treated with AChR-toxin conjugates using the plant toxin gelonin. This led to a marked improvement of clinical symptoms as well as a significant increase in functional AChR compared to untreated rats with EAMG as determined 6 to 10 weeks later. No therapeutic effect was observed after treatment with gelonin or AChR alone. The immune response to irrelevant control antigens was not altered by this treatment.