Korean J Clin Pathol.  1999 Dec;19(6):723-728.

Chemical Modification of RBC Surface Antigen with Methoxy Polyethylene Glycol

• Bae JS
• Hwang MW
• Kim IT
• Lim CS
• Ma KR
• Kim YK
• Lee KN
• Kim DH
• Byun SM

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Today, blood group antigens are a strong barrier of safe transfusion. We evaluated the change of agglutinability of antibody to RBC surface antigen before and after activated methoxy polyethylene glycol (mPEG) modification.
METHODS
We collected blood from healthy volunteers and the blood were treated by activated mPEG (MW 5,000, Sigma, USA). Agglutinability of RBC was measured using anti-sera (Green Cross, Korea) in ABO and Rh(D) groups, and compared the agglutinability changes before and after mPEG treatment.
RESULTS
The agglutinability of Rh(D) surface antigen (n=20) was disappeared after mPEG treatment. However, ABO antigens showed variable agglutinability against antisera, some of which showed no change at all.
CONCLUSIONS
In the case of Rh(D) antigen, it would be useful to apply mPEG treated RBCs for clinical use, if the safety problem were solved. But in the case of ABO antigen, the more evaluation of the condition of reaction and the concentration of mPEG should be needed.

Keyword

Methoxy polyethylene glycol; ABO; Rh(D) antigen; agglutinability; artificial blood

MeSH Terms

Antigens, Surface*
Blood Group Antigens
Blood Substitutes
Healthy Volunteers
Immune Sera
Polyethylene Glycols*
Polyethylene*
Antigens, Surface
Blood Group Antigens
Blood Substitutes
Immune Sera
Polyethylene
Polyethylene Glycols