Figure 2. AAV-MethAb infection induced long-lasting expression of MethAb in serum and reduced Meth levels in the brain and serum.

(a) Mice were injected with AAV-MethAb (10⁹ VGC/animal; n = 3, i.p.) or PBS (n = 4). Significant increases in MethAb expression in serum were found up to 29 weeks after AAV-MethAb injection (p < 0.0001, 2-way ANOVA; AAV-MethAb vs. PBS at 7, 17, 22, and 29 weeks post-injection). (b) Serum samples were pooled at 9 weeks after AAV-MethAb injection. Meth, but not other ligands, selectively competed with Meth-HRP for MethAb binding at a concentration of 10⁻⁵ mM. (c,d) At 15 weeks post-injection, all animals received Meth challenge (1 mg/kg, i.p.); brain and blood samples were collected 10 minutes later. The Meth concentrations in the brain and serum were significantly reduced (*p < 0.05, Student’s t-test) in AAV-MethAb injected mice.