Conditioning factors influencing evolution of experimental glomerulonephritis in rabbits

Abstract

Unilateral nephrectomy (UN) and/or oral saline administration in rabbits did not induce alterations in the concentration of various blood serum constituents for observation periods ranging from 1 to 6 months. Duck antirabbit-kidney immune serum (NTX) given i.v. to UN animals produced an acute glomerulonephritis significantly more severe than in parallel controls. All UN animals died from dry uremia within 3–4 weeks following serum administration. As compared to the other groups, the UN showed the highest retention of urea nitrogen, creatinine and uric acid. When injected into saline-drinking animals, NTX produced either subacute glomerulonephritis, anasarca, convulsions and death from wet uremia, or chronic glomerulonephritis with polyuria and hyposthenuria as the main clinical manifestations. As compared to the other groups, the saline-drinking animals showed lowest serum albumin and highest cholesterol levels. The serum albumin level appeared to be related to the urinary loss of albumin and not to the severity of the disease. The albumin concentration per unit volume was similar in the urine of various groups; hence the albumin loss depended upon the 24-hour urine output, i.e. highest in saline drinking, lowest in UN groups. Hypercholesterolemia and edema inversely paralleled the serum albumin level, being pronounced in saline-drinking and mild in UN animals.