Early changes of rat experimental autoimmune glomerulonephritis induced with the nephritogenic antigen from bovine...

Early changes of experimental autoimmune glomerulonephritis induced with the bovine nephritogenic antigen from renal basement membranes were studied in inbred WKY/NCrj rats. Rats were injected with the antigen and examined every two days for urinary protein, hematuria, serum titer to the antigen, deposition of rat IgG on the glomerular basement membrane (GBM), renal histological changes, and pulmonary hemorrhage. Increase of the anti-nephritogenic antigen-titer in the serum was first detected at day 6, deposition of rat IgG on the GBM at day 8, glomerular capillary occlusions with mononuclear cells at day 10, pulmonary hemorrhage and glomerular-capsular adhesions at day 10-12, and glomerular crescent formation, proteinuria and hematuria at day 12-14. All changes became severe by day 16. No infiltration of polymorphonuclear leukocytes was found in glomeruli. These results clearly indicate that mononuclear cells but not polymorphonuclear leukocytes are important in the early development of the glomerulonephritis. Occlusions of mononuclear cells after deposition of IgG suggests that the autologous anti-GBM antibodies serve as an initiator of the disease.