Experimental Pulmonary Disease and Autoimmune Nephritis in the Rabbit Produced by Homologous and Heterologous Choroid Plexus (Experimental Goodpasture's Syndrome)

SummaryThe choroid plexus basement membrane bears striking immunologic, structural, chemical and functional similarities to glomerular basement membrane and has been suggested to play a role in anti-glomerular basement membrane nephritis. In these investigations serial injections of homologous and heterologous choroid plexus basement membrane in Freund's adjuvant to rabbits was associated with nephritis, hemorrhagic pneumonitis and linear deposits on the choroid plexus and to a lesser extent alveolar basement membrane in rabbits. Proteinuria, hematuria and serum anti-GBM antibodies were prominent. Epistaxis was occasionally present. The nephritis was characterized by linear deposition of host IgG and B1C on the glomerular capillary walls and glomerular eluates contained anti-GBM anti-choroid plexus, alveolar and renal tubular basement membrane antibody. Nephritis was transferred by serum. The studies suggest a role for the choroid plexus in Goodpasture's syndrome.