Antibodies to cholesterol

Cholesterol-dependent complement activation has been proposed as a factor that might influence the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Although antibodies to cholesterol conjugates have been reported, cholesterol is widely regarded as a poorly immunogenic substance. Monoclonal IgM complement-fixing antibodies to cholesterol were obtained in the present study after immunizing mice with liposomes containing high amounts of cholesterol (71 mol % relative to phosphatidylcholine) and lipid A as an adjuvant. Clones were selected for the ability of secreted antibodies to react with liposomes containing 71% cholesterol but not with liposomes containing 43% cholesterol. The antibodies also reacted with crystalline cholesterol in a solid-phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Binding of monoclonal antibodies to the surface of crystalline cholesterol was demonstrated by electron microscopy by utilizing a second antibody (anti-IgM) labeled with colloidal gold. The immunization period required to induce monoclonal antibodies was very short (3 days) and a high fraction of the hybrid cells (at least 70%) were secreting detectable antibodies to cholesterol. The results demonstrate that cholesterol can be a highly immunogenic molecule and that complement-fixing antibodies to cholesterol can be readily obtained.