IMMUNOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF RABBIT ANTIBODIES IN MEMBRANOUS GLOMERULONEPHRITIS

Four of 15 rabbits, injected with hen's egg albumin (EA) intramuscularly once a week for a period in excess of 12 weeks, developed membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN). It was demonstrated that the quantities and qualities of antibodies produced in the MGN rabbits were different than those of non‐membranous glomerulonephritis (non‐MGN) rabbits. MGN rabbits produced small to moderate amounts of total antibodies and precipitating antibodies as measured by antigen‐binding capacity (ABC‐33) of Farr's method and precipitation with radioactive antigen (P‐80), particularly after 12 weeks of immunization. The precipitating efficiencies of the antibodies in their sera declines remarkably and their avidity were lower than those of non‐MGN rabbits late in the course of immunization. MGN rabbits formed relatively small antigen‐antibody complexes after intravenous injection of antigen, which were slowly removed from their circulation. From these results, it was concluded that the properties of antibodies correlated closely with the development of MGN.