Anti-Mouse IL-4 (Clone 11B11) – Purified in vivo GOLD™ Functional Grade

Clone 11B11 is a rat monoclonal antibody against mouse interleukin-4 (IL-4), and it is widely used in in vivo mouse studies to functionally neutralize IL-4 activity. The antibody is administered to mice to block endogenous IL-4, allowing researchers to investigate the role of IL-4 in immune responses by assessing effects such as Th2-cell responses, allergic inflammation, or other IL-4-dependent processes.

Key use in in vivo studies:

• Neutralization of IL-4: When injected into mice, clone 11B11 binds to and neutralizes mouse IL-4, effectively blocking IL-4-mediated signaling. This is commonly used to assess the impact of IL-4 absence in various disease or immunological models.
• Functional grade 11B11 antibodies are specifically purified to be low in endotoxin and free of preservatives, making them suitable for safe in vivo administration.

Additional applications:

• 11B11 is also frequently used for in vitro studies, including ELISA, ELISPOT, flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, and immunoprecipitation, but its main in vivo application is IL-4 neutralization in mouse models.

Typical experimental workflow:

• The antibody is administered (via intraperitoneal or intravenous injection) at experimentally determined dosages and schedules, depending on the model and goal of the experiment.
• Researchers observe differences in immune response, disease progression, or cellular phenotypes between 11B11-treated and control mice to infer the function of IL-4.

Formulation and quality:

• 11B11 intended for in vivo use is purified to be highly monomeric, low in endotoxin (often ? 0.5 EU/mg), and free of sodium azide or other preservatives to minimize adverse effects in mice.

In summary, clone 11B11 is a standard reagent to achieve functional IL-4 blockade in living mice, enabling mechanistic studies of IL-4-driven immune pathways in allergy, infection, autoimmunity, and other research contexts.

The correct storage temperature for sterile packaged clone 11B11 monoclonal antibody depends on the storage duration:

• For short-term storage (up to 1 month), keep at 2–8°C (standard refrigerator temperature, undiluted and sterile).
• For long-term storage, aliquot and store at ? –20°C or lower (preferably –70°C or –80°C for maximum stability), especially for reconstituted or working aliquots.

Key handling notes:

• Avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles to preserve antibody integrity.
• Lyophilized (freeze-dried) product is stable at 2–8°C for at least a year until reconstitution.
• After reconstitution, stable at 2–8°C for 1 month or at –20°C to –80°C for up to 1 year.
• Always check the lot-specific datasheet for product-specific details as these may vary by supplier.

In summary: store sterile Clone 11B11 at 2–8°C for short term, and at ? –20°C (preferably –70°C or –80°C) for long-term storage.

11B11 is a rat monoclonal antibody widely used to target mouse IL-4 in immunological research, particularly for in vivo and in vitro functional studies. In the literature, when 11B11 is used, it is commonly paired with several other antibodies or proteins to dissect immunological pathways, analyze cytokine function, or assess combined therapeutic efficacy.

Commonly used antibodies and proteins alongside 11B11:

• Isotype controls: For example, GL113 (rat IgG1) is frequently used as the isotype control when 11B11 is used to neutralize IL-4.
• Anti-IL-13: Studies investigating Th2 cytokines often pair anti-IL-4 (11B11) with anti-IL-13 antibodies due to overlapping and synergistic functions of these cytokines in allergic and inflammatory models.
• Anti-CD3, anti-CD28, and anti-CD4: These are regularly used in T cell stimulation assays or for defining T cell subsets during functional studies of cytokine effects.
• Anti-IFN-?: Used in Th1/Th2 polarization studies to simultaneously examine the effects of Th1 and Th2 cytokine blockade.
• Tumor-targeted antibodies: In cancer immunology, 11B11 is often combined with therapeutic antibodies such as trastuzumab (anti-HER2), where the blockade of IL-4 can enhance the efficacy of tumor-targeted therapy by modulating the tumor microenvironment and immune response.
• Detection/capture antibodies: In ELISA or ELISPOT applications, 11B11 is used as a capture or neutralizing antibody, with corresponding detection antibodies against mouse IL-4 or other cytokines, sometimes within multiplex panels.
• Markers of immune cell subsets: Antibodies against CD45, CD3, CD19, F4/80, and others are often included in flow cytometry panels when analyzing the effects of IL-4 neutralization on various immune cell populations.

Applications and Experimental Contexts:

• In tumor immunology, 11B11 is frequently paired with tumor-specific antibodies (e.g., trastuzumab) to evaluate combinatorial effects on anti-tumor immunity.
• In Th2-driven disease models (e.g., allergic airway inflammation), 11B11 is often used with other cytokine-neutralizing antibodies (such as anti-IL-5 or anti-IL-13) to delineate cytokine function.
• In ELISA or ELISPOT, 11B11 is used with anti-IL-4 detection antibodies for quantification of IL-4 protein.

Summary Table: Common 11B11 Pairings

The specific combination depends on the research question; most studies pairing 11B11 focus on immune modulation in disease or experimental models by blocking IL-4 alone or in combination with other cytokines, controls, or immune-targeted therapies.

Key findings from scientific literature citing clone 11B11, a monoclonal antibody that neutralizes mouse interleukin-4 (IL-4), focus on its role as an experimental tool for dissecting IL-4 function in immunity and disease models:

• 11B11 efficiently neutralizes mouse IL-4 and prevents it from binding to its receptor, making it a foundational tool in studies of Th2 immune responses and allergic inflammation.

• Its use has clarified IL-4’s critical roles in B cell biology:

  • IL-4 promotes proliferation and class switching of B cells, notably enhancing immunoglobulin (Ig) class switching to IgG1 and IgE isotypes.
  • Blocking IL-4 with 11B11 inhibits this switch, confirming IL-4’s central role as an isotype switch factor.

• Tumor Immunology:

  • In HER2-positive tumor models, combining 11B11 with trastuzumab reduces infiltration of CD11b?CD206? myeloid cells and shifts the tumor microenvironment by lowering chemoattractants (CCL2, CCL11, CXCL5) and certain cytokines. This alters macrophage differentiation, indirectly improving therapy efficacy, but does not significantly affect T cell compartments or enhance adaptive memory responses.

• Vaccine and Antibody Maturation Studies:

  • Neutralization of IL-4 with 11B11 informs on antibody affinity maturation, particularly its influence on somatic hypermutation and class switching in B cells during immune responses. IL-4 blockade reduces the rate of affinity maturation and affects IgG1 antibody responses in some settings.

• Widespread Experimental Use:

  • 11B11 remains a standard reagent for in vivo and in vitro studies to selectively ablate IL-4 function, as evidenced by frequent citations and its continued listing in methodology sections of immunology studies.

In summary, clone 11B11 is a critical tool for defining IL-4’s roles in immune regulation, B cell isotype switching, tumor immune microenvironment modulation, and antibody affinity maturation across a variety of murine experimental models.