title: Chronic serum sickness glomerulonephritis: heparin enhances the removal of glomerular antigen.
abstract: Chronic serum sickness glomerulonephritis was induced in rats using 125I-labelled cationic bovine serum albumin as antigen. During the recovery period the animals were given protamine or polyethyleneimine (PEI), both of which are cationic, or heparin, which is anionic. A control group received saline. The cationic molecules were not shown to influence the rate of removal of antigen from the glomeruli, but heparin increased removal. In subsequent experiments this effect of heparin was confirmed, and a similar effect was demonstrated using low molecular weight heparin. These results indicate that large doses of heparin can enhance the removal of antigen from well-established glomerular deposits. Fibrin is not detectable in the glomeruli in this model, so this effect of heparin may be independent of its anticoagulant properties.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University Hospital, Nottingham, U.K.
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Furness
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000838:Anions; D000941:Antigens / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002412:Cations; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005921:Glomerulonephritis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D006493:Heparin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006495:Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007672:Kidney Cortex / Q000276:immunology; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D011094:Polyethyleneimine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011479:Protamines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051381:Rats; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine; D012711:Serum Albumin, Radio-Iodinated; D012713:Serum Sickness / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000838:Anions; D000941:Antigens; D002412:Cations; D006495:Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight; D011479:Protamines; D012711:Serum Albumin, Radio-Iodinated; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine; D011094:Polyethyleneimine; D006493:Heparin