Glomerular immune complex deposition, circulating immune complexes, and antibodies in experimental insulinopenic...

Compared with control animals with a normal metabolism, rats with insulinopenic diabetes generally show an increase in glomerular deposition of complement-fixing immune complexes after immunization with bovine albumin and bovine gamma-globulin. Compared with the control group, the serum of the diabetic animals showed a reduction in the titers of IgM-isotype antibodies, which have a lower affinity. The concentration of the circulating immune complexes is the same. The increased frequency of glomular deposits in experimental diabetes can be explained by an increase in capillary permeability and by the formation of qualitatively different immune complexes.