Elimination of an artificial immune complex by plasmapheresis in rabbits

The behaviour of an artificial immune complex was investigated in 15 rabbits. The immune complex was labelled with iodine-125 (125I). The advantage was that the immune complex could not be metabolized without being eliminated by the kidney. This artificial immune complex was injected in different dosages (0.8 micrograms-40 micrograms/rabbit) on 2 consecutive days. One group (n = 9) was treated with plasmapheresis: the other (n = 6) was a control group that did not undergo plasmapheresis. A miniaturized plasmapheresis system eliminated the immune complex very effectively. The increasing concentration of the immune complex in the blood before the next plasmapheresis treatment was probably an expression of mobilization of the immune complex from different organs. The animals of the plasmapheresis group were in better condition than the control group.