Identification of new collagen formation with 125I-labeled antibody in bovine pericardial tissue valves implanted in calves.

Failure of bovine pericardial tissue valve used in young patients may be due to a slow rejection process. Polyclonal anticollagen (Type I) antibody (IgG) was made in rabbits and purified by protein A affinity column. Two milligrams of IgG was labeled with 2 mCi of 125I by the Iodogen method. Free iodide was separated by G-10 column. Affinity of 125I-IgG was checked by radioimmunoassay. Two hundred and fifty microcuries of 125I-IgG was injected in calves immediately after tissue valve implantation, and the calves were killed 4 h post-injection. After harvesting the valve, each of the three leaflets was separated into four zones, and radioactivity in each section was mapped with a gamma counter. The radioactivity in tissue valve section was compared to that of normal aortic valve. The sections of tissue valve retain five to ten times more 125I-IgG than control aortic valve. Iodine-IgG thus provides a sensitive technique for determination of residual antigenicity in tissue valve.