Nephropathy produced by Forssman antibody in guinea pigs: an experimental model of mesangial injury

In the present work the involvement of the kidneys of guinea pigs injected with rabbit anti-sheep red blood cell antiserum (Forssman antibody) was studied. The antibody was introduced by a catheter into the abdominal aorta close to the openings of renal arteries. Glomerular lesions were observed 6h following the injection: increased cellularity at the expense of polymorphonuclear and mononuclear cells, widened mesangial regions, deposits of fuchsinophilic material in the mesangium and capillary loops. By immunofluorescence the antibody was detected in the mesangial region extending to adjacent capillary loops, but it was not possible to demonstrate the presence of complement with certainty. The presence of subepithelial nodules on the glomerular basement membrane and deposits in the mesangium was demonstrated by electron microscopy. These findings suggest that this glomerulopathy induced by Forssman antibody may be a simple and reproducible model for the study of mesangial lesions.