Anaphylaxis in the mouse--a model for using two-dimensional electroimmunodiffusion to study pathological changes in multiple serum proteins simultaneously.

Two-dimensional electroimmunodiffusion is rarely used in clinical chemistry, because its potentialities are not yet widely appreciated. Studying mouse anaphylaxis, we observed with this technique certain striking short- and long-term pathologic changes in several important serum antigens, which aptly demonstrate its uniqueness and potential clinical usefulness. We present some of these observations here, for illustration. We analyzed sera from CF-1 female mice that had been anaphylactically shocked with chicken conalbumin antigen and bled 45 min to 22 days afterward. In three separate experiments, with samples of serum being analyzed only once each, this technique easily and surely detected quantitative and (or) qualitative changes in several serum antigens. We discuss here the changes in 7S gamma1 immunoglobulin, C3 globulin, hemopexin, and alpha lipoprotein, and explain how some of these changes would have been difficult and others impossible to detect by currently routine tests. We urge the adoption of two-dimensional electroimmunodiffusion for frequent use in the clinical laboratory for diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring pathological conditions.