Immunomagnetic separation of tumor necrosis factor alpha. II. In situ procedure for the human gingival space.

An in situ procedure has been developed for the separation of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha directly from the fluid in the human gingival space. Paramagnetic beads coated with anti-TNF monoclonal antibodies were introduced into the gingival space of the subject with a polypropylene-tipped calibrated delivery system and retrieved using a permanent magnet designed to fit into the space. After retrieval, the amount of immunoadsorbed TNF was quantified using an immunochemical assay called the "cluster assay". The results indicate that following the appropriate preparation of the site, over 95% of the beads could be recovered. With this method we found that 62% of those cavities sampled contained TNF and that the values ranged from 0.10 to 13.0 ng/ml with a mean value of 1.7 ng/ml. A comparison of these values with those obtained from the same space using other methods suggests that the immunomagnetic method was more effective in retrieval of TNF. Because the separation is performed in situ we have named the procedure "chromatobiosis".