Leukocyte adherence inhibition test in renal diseases

Leukocyte adherence inhibition (LAI) test was examined in 35 patients with renal diseases and 14 normal controls, using collagenase-treated glomerular basement membrane, glycosidase-treated glomerular basement membrane and renal tubular epithelium as antigens. Although the control group showed strikingly similar mean LAI indices for all antigens tested, the whole group of patients with renal diseases showed a wide scatter of values. Two categories of patients had significantly increased LAI indices (p less than 0.01) when their mean values were compared with those of normal controls: (1) rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN) and (2) lupus nephritis (SLE). In the serial studies of the RPGN and SLE cases, there were no significant changes in the pattern of LAI and they continued to give positive and very comparable results when re-examined at intervals of 1-6 months. Out of the 30 patients who were able to be evaluated with the three antigens, 15 cases exhibited positive LAI response to two or more antigens simultaneously. These in vitro findings suggest that there is an abnormal cellular response to certain antigen or widespread LAI reactivity to a variety of renal antigens in certain forms of human glomerulonephritis.