Chemical modification of antigens on porcine red blood cells:the preliminary study on xenotransfusion / 中国输血杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective Recent findings indicate that the serological and biochemical characteristics of porcine erythrocytes share many similarities with human red blood cell (hRBC). Scientists believed that humanized porcine red blood cells (pRBC) could be used as one alternative source for human blood transfusion. Methods In order to eliminate ?Gal antigen and non-?Gal on the surface of pRBC, recombinant soybean ?-Galactosidase (rS?-GalE) constructed by our lab was used to remove terminal ?Gal residues from ?Gal antigen, and mPEG-BTC was used to camouflage non-?Gal xenoantigen on the surface of pRBC. Results The carbohydrate structures of ?Gal xenoantigen of pRBC treated with rS?-GalE were completely modified. The antigenic determinants of ?Gal and non-?Gal xenoantigen on the surface of pRBC were successfully camouflaged through mPEG-BTC modification. But this modification needed higher concentration of mPEG-BTC which could cause slight structure damage. Considering this, with combination of ?Gal xenoantigen conversion by rS?-GalE and chemical camouflage of non-?Gal xenoantigen with lower concentration of mPEG-BTC, the antigenic determinants of pRBC were attenuated and hemagglutination were diminished.Conclusion The morphology, structures, functions and deformability of pRBC modified with rS?-GalE, mPEG-BTC and rS?-GalE+ mPEG-BTC were normal.