The roles of T cells in experimental crescentic glomerulonephritis]

A crescentic glomerulonephritis (GN) model was induced by intravenous injection of rabbit anti-mouse glomerular basement membrane (GBM) antiserum and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in BALB/c mice, heterozygous mice and nude mice respectively, in order to detect the T-cells effects on the development of crescentic GN. The immunofluorescence and morphological changes of glomeruli in different groups of animals were compared. Intense fluorescence (4+) of rabbit IgG could be found along the GBM in liner pattern in all the animals. Intense (3(+)-4+) mouse IgG was also found along the GBM in liner pattern in the normal and heterozygous mice, but could not be identified in the nude mice. The normal mice developed typical crescentic GN, characterized by serious degeneration and destruction of GBM, fibrin deposition and crescents formation, 3-6 weeks after the injection. The heterozygous mice only developed mild proliferation of the mesangial cells in the glomeruli but there was no glomerular lesion detected in the nude mice. It suggests that the glomerular immune damage requires the participation of functional T-cell.