title: [Abortive effect of autologous anti-alpha-fetoprotein antibodies in the rat].
abstract: Female Commentry Rats 80--85 days old, were immunized by 5 intramuscular injections of Mouse alphafetoprotein (AFP) and then mated. After fertilization a supplementary injections was administered. The animals were bled at different times and killed immediately after the last bleeding on the 19 or 20th day of gestation. Titers of AFP and of autologous anti-AFP antibodies in the maternal blood were determined as well as the AFP concentration in the pooled amniotic fluids from live embryos of each litter. Compared to non-immunized control series, the total of live and dead embryos per litter in animals immunized with Mouse AFP showed no difference. However, the number of live embryos was on the average 50% lower than that in the control series. The serum titers of AFP and of antibodies to autologous AFP in immunized pregnant Rats bearing dead embryos decreased concomitantly with the number of live embryos. The results reported herein demonstrate that the presence of anti-autologous AFP antibodies in pregnant Rats correlates with the interruption of development in a significant proportions of embryos. This suggests that certain spontaneous abortions in the Rat and perhaps in other mammals can be explained by the rupture of immunological tolerance to autologous AFP.
mesh_terms: D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death / Q000276:immunology; D007117:Immunization, Secondary; D051379:Mice / Q000276:immunology; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins
vernacular_title: Effet abortif chez le Rat d'anticorps autologues anti-alpha-foetoprotéine.