The Use of Some Synthetic Phosphatides in Antigens for the Serodiagnosis of Syphilis

Tonks, D. B.; Allen, Rovelle H.

doi:10.1126/science.118.3054.55

Cited by 14 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Although the development of reliable synthetic substitutes has been the objective of several studies, previous results have indicated that VDRL antigen prepared with synthetic components is less reactive than that made with natural components (3,12,13). We found that a VDRL antigen made with synthetic tetramyristoyl cardiolipin and synthetic lecithin (1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) was more reactive than and as specific as the VDRL antigen made from natural components.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 58%

“…The length of the carbon chain of the fatty acids apparently is not of primary importance. Faure and Coulon-Morelec (4) demonstrated that the removal of one or two of the four fatty acids from the phosphatides derived from cardiolipin did not have a detrimental effect, while the esterification of the free hydroxyl group of cardiolipin considerably decreased the activity of the cardiolipin in the VDRL test.Several researchers have sought to determine whether synthetic cardiolipin and lecithin could replace the natural components in the preparation of VDRL antigen (3,5,12,13). These experiments were designed to demonstrate the possibility of obtaining the same serologic reactions both qualitatively and quantitatively with synthetic test antigen as with a reference antigen containing natural components.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Several researchers have sought to determine whether synthetic cardiolipin and lecithin could replace the natural components in the preparation of VDRL antigen (3,5,12,13). These experiments were designed to demonstrate the possibility of obtaining the same serologic reactions both qualitatively and quantitatively with synthetic test antigen as with a reference antigen containing natural components.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These experiments were designed to demonstrate the possibility of obtaining the same serologic reactions both qualitatively and quantitatively with synthetic test antigen as with a reference antigen containing natural components. Their studies (3,6,13) showed that phosphatidylglycerophosphate, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidic acid, and diphosphatidylglycerol are less reactive than natural cardiolipin. In a separate study, several types of synthetic lecithin (L-␣-distearoyl, dipalmitoyl, D-␣-dimyristoyl, DL-␣-dimyristoyl, and L-␣-dimyristoyl cephalin) were produced and found to be serologically active to varying degrees (12).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Use of Synthetic Cardiolipin and Lecithin in the Antigen Used by the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory Test for Serodiagnosis of Syphilis

Castro¹,

Morrill²,

Shaw

et al. 2000

Clin Diagn Lab Immunol

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The Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) test is a microflocculation test for syphilis that uses an antigen containing cardiolipin, lecithin, and cholesterol. For more than 50 years, the preparation of natural cardiolipin and lecithin for this test has been based on the Pangborn method which involves isolating and purifying these components from beef hearts. This process is tedious and time-consuming and results in a variable purity range. In our studies, we found that a VDRL antigen using synthetic tetramyristoyl cardiolipin and synthetic 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (lecithin) was as specific in detecting syphilis as a VDRL antigen made with natural components. In 85% of the cases, we obtained an endpoint titer of 1/2 or 1 dilution more than a titer obtained with a VDRL antigen made with natural components. The use of these pure synthetic compounds, with a purity of 99%, would offer advantages in the standardization and stability of the VDRL antigen. Because this antigen is the basic ingredient in the preparation of nontreponemal reagents such as the rapid plasma reagin, toluidine red unheated serum test, and the unheated serum reagin, the use of this synthetic VDRL antigen should also increase the reactivity of these reagents.The Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) antigen, suspended in a buffered saline solution, forms a flocculate when combined with antilipoidal antibodies in serum or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from persons with syphilis. The VDRL test measures immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM antibodies to lipoidal material released from damaged host cells as well as to lipoprotein-like material and possibly cardiolipin released from the treponemes (1, 9).Natural cardiolipin was isolated from extracts of beef hearts by Pangborn in 1941 (10). Natural lecithin is prepared from beef hearts or egg yolks. The process of preparing and purifying cardiolipin and lecithin by the Pangborn method has continued, despite being tedious, time-consuming, and very expensive.Natural cardiolipin is a phospholipid containing approximately 90% unsaturated linoleoyl fatty acid with four 18-carbon chains, each of which has two double bonds. The presence of the double bonds in the fatty acid is conducive to oxidation with reduced reactivity. Cardiolipin possesses a strong antigenic property. The serologic specificity of the antigen reacting with syphilitic sera is attributed to two phosphate groups and the ␤-hydroxyl group of the central glycerol moiety (3). Several investigators have reported on the relationship between the structure and serologic specificity of cardiolipin. The length of the carbon chain of the fatty acids apparently is not of primary importance. Faure and Coulon-Morelec (4) demonstrated that the removal of one or two of the four fatty acids from the phosphatides derived from cardiolipin did not have a detrimental effect, while the esterification of the free hydroxyl group of cardiolipin considerably decreased the activity of the cardiolipin in the VDRL test.Several researchers h...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 58%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Use of Synthetic Cardiolipin and Lecithin in the Antigen Used by the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory Test for Serodiagnosis of Syphilis

Castro¹,

Morrill²,

Shaw

et al. 2000

Clin Diagn Lab Immunol

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“…They showed that hydrogenation of this material produced the corresponding saturated lecithin which was identical with the synthetic L-oc-(dipalmitoyl)-lecithin of Baer and Maurukas (1952). The latter compound, when used in combination with cardiolipin and cholesterol, has given antigens suitable for the sero-diagnosis of syphilis (Tonks and Allen, 1953).…”

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confidence: 90%