[Effects of anti-cholinoceptor antibodies on the frog heart]

Research on isolated hearts of Rana temporaria has shown that upon treating them with anti-cholinoreceptor antibodies, there occurs a considerable reduction of inhibition effect on cardiac activity of acetylcholine or carbacholine. A reduction of inhibition effect was noticed after incubation of frog's heart with antibodies against cholinoreceptors obtained from motor-denervated muscles of frogs as well as from muscles of mice Balb/c. Cholinoreceptor protein was obtained and purified by A. Sobel's method. Control tests were made with serum of non-immunized rabbits and rabbits immunized with material obtained from non-denervated muscles of frogs. It was concluded that acetylcholinoreceptor antibodies are capable of provoking atropine-like effect on frog's heart. According to our data, anti-cholinoreceptor antibodies as well as cholinoreceptors are relatively non-specific to species.