ALTEX :: Alternatives to Animal Experiments

1996, Supplement

Effectivity of Different Methods for the Extraction and Purification of IgY

Christine Schwarzkopf¹ and Bernhard Thiele²

¹Bundesinstitut für gesundheitlichen Verbraucherschutz und Veterinärmedizin, D-Berlin; ²Transplantationsimmunologie, D-Kaiserslautern

SUMMARY

Extraction of IgY from the egg yolk of immunized laying hens differs from the conventional way of antiserum preparation following blood sampling or exsanguination also with regard to the preparation technique. Six methods of IgY preparation were studied comparatively. As a result, the ammonium sulfate precipitation proved to be the most environmentally compatible and economical one. The advantage of this method becomes particularly obvious when the method is followed by affinity chromatography.

Keywords: IgY, extraction, purification, precipitation