IUBio

Ascites in Rabbits?

Mike Clark mrc7 at cam.ac.uk
Fri Sep 22 09:33:37 EST 2000


In article <8pm7c5$hjm$1 at nnrp1.deja.com>, <URL:mailto:juniorgator99 at aol.com>
wrote:
> I have developed a rabbit-rabbit  (rabbit plasmacytoma cell line fused
> with rabbit splenocytes) monoclonal antibody and wanted to know if you
> can produce ascites in rabbits practically?
> 
> I know ascites production is routintely done in mice, but has anyone
> heard of it done in rabbits?  If so what cell dosage would be needed to
> inject, any ideas of yield, and any other pros and cons that go along
> with this type of procedure?
> 
> Also what about injection of a rabbit monoclonal into nude mice for
> ascites production?
> 
> Thanks for your help..
> 
> Junior
> 

There are both practical points and also ethical points to consider. 

On practical grounds unless you have inbred animals or heavily
immunosuppressed animals they are likely to reject the 'tumour'
(hybridomas).

On ethical grounds, many countries and the UK is one, consider antibody
production by growth of ascitic tumours to be 'undesirable'. Thus you would
need to come up with very convincing arguments as to why you couldn't
produce the antibody by growth of the cells in vitro.

I agree with this ethical position and I would like to suggest to you that
growing the cells in vitro is the best approach because your antibody would
then not be contaminated with normal rabbit immunoglobulin.

Mike Clark,                        <URL:http://www.path.cam.ac.uk/~mrc7/>
-- 
M.R. Clark, PhD. Division of Immunology
Cambridge University, Dept. Pathology
Tennis Court Rd., Cambridge CB2 1QP
Tel.+44 1223 333705  Fax.+44 1223 333875






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