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Non-enzymatic glycation of IgG: an in vivo study

Annunziata Lapolla1, R Tonani, D Fedele

  • 1Dipartimento Scienze Mediche e Chirurgiche, Università di Padova, Via Giustiniani 2, 35100 Padua, Italy. annunziata.lapollo-@unipd.it

Hormone and Metabolic Research = Hormon- Und Stoffwechselforschung = Hormones Et Metabolisme
|June 14, 2002
PubMed

The IgG glycation level of 30 healthy subjects and 60 type 2 diabetic patients with different degrees of metabolic control was evaluated by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry, a technique allowing the determination of mass increase of the IgG molecule. When applied to the digested mixture obtained by the action of papain on the plasma protein fraction, the same method established the mass increase of Fab and Fc fragments of IgG; for the former, a higher mass increase was found, possibly explained by its high reactivity to glucose. Experimental results were confirmed by molecular modeling calculations. Results suggest that the immunodeficiency observed in diabetic patients may be due to the inhibition of molecular recognition between antibody and antigen as a result of a change in functionality of the modified Fab fragment of IgG.

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