Immunohistochemical staining to investigate antibody binding to cartilage in vivo

Cab3 and Cab4 cocktails are pools of three and four arthritogenic antibodies, respectively, with antibodies known to bind cartilage and initiate arthritis in several mouse strains, including the commonly used C57BL/6 strain. Biotinylated versions of the antibodies may be administered in vivo, and avidin-conjugated reagents can then be used to visualize and quantify the in vivo -bound antibodies in the tissue processed ex vivo for confocal microscopy.   

The methodology to detect the cartilage-bound antibodies may be adapted to investigate the timing and fate of the arthritogenic antibodies and may be supplemented with immunohistochemical method to detect complement deposited on the cartilage. This information may be utilized to investigate the mechanisms of arthritis development in preclinical models.

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