title: Induction of fetal wastage in pregnant mice passively immunized to murine alpha-fetoprotein.
abstract: Pregnant mice of various gestational ages were injected with purified rabbit IgG preparations of antibodies to mouse alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). Abortion of the fetuses was induced using 5-10 mg of total IgG, while 1.0 mg or less produced fetal wastage (death) depending on gestational age. While antibody-induced abortion occurred within 24 hrs, fetal death required 48-72 hrs for completion. Various non-IgG and control IgG solutions at comparable concentrations showed little or no effect in age-matched control mice. IgG preparations rendered devoid of specific anti-AFP antibodies were incapable of inducing fetal death following 3 cycles through immunoabsorbent chromatography. It was further observed that: 1) low concentrations of anti-AFP IgG appeared responsible for fetal death in early pregnancy and, 2) that antibodies, which did not readily bind to an affinity column, may possibly have caused fetal resorption. Finally, comparable studies in pregnant rats administered rabbit anti-rat AFP IgG did not exhibit abortion but only meager fetotoxic effects.
mesh_terms: D000028:Abortion, Induced; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D005327:Fetal Resorption / Q000209:etiology; D005865:Gestational Age; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D051379:Mice; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D013045:Species Specificity; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins