title: Triple-drug treatment of autologous immune complex glomerulonephritis.
abstract: Autologous immune complex glomerulonephritis, an established experimental model of membranous glomerulopathy in man, has been used to investigate the effect of various drugs on its course. Because immunosuppressive or anti-inflammatory drugs are reported to have little or no effect on autologous immune complex glomerulonephritis a combination of cyclophosphamide, azathioprine and prednisolone was used in this study. Since in this glomerular disease free-circulating anti-FxlA antibody has pathogenetic significance special attention was paid to the effect of triple-drug treatment on the anti-FxlA serum titres and the relation between these titres, deposition of immune aggregates in the glomerular basement membrane and the occurrence of proteinuria. It was found that triple-drug treatment could prevent completely deposition of immune aggregates in the glomeruli as well as development of proteinuria when it was started simultaneously with the immunization procedure. If triple-drug treatment was started as the moment when immune deposits appeared along the glomerular basement membrane, a decrease in serum titre of autologous anti-FxlA antibody, diminished deposition of immune aggregates along basement membranes and a significant decrease of proteinuria were found. In later stages of the disease when proteinuria was fully developed, no beneficial effect of triple-drug treatment could be demonstrated. It is concluded that the beneficial effect of triple-drug treatment on early stages of autologous immune complex glomerulonephritis is caused by a decrease in the level of free-circulating anti-FxlA antibody.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis; D001379:Azathioprine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005921:Glomerulonephritis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D007105:Immune Complex Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007668:Kidney / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D004338:Drug Combinations; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D011239:Prednisolone; D001379:Azathioprine