Immune response in experimentally induced uremia. V. Description of a model for chronic uremia in the rat that produces a long-term suppressive effect on T cell responses to mitogens.

This study describes a model for chronic uremia in the rat that produces a long-term suppressive effect on T cell responses to mitogens. We have found that (1) chronically uremic rats have significantly higher serum creatine levels than control rats and lymphocytopenia at all intervals tested after induction of uremia up to 4 1/2 months; (2) at all times tested after induction of uremia, the response of spleen cells from uremic rats to the T cell mitogens ConA and PHA was significantly suppressed as compared to control rats; (3) the severely suppressed response to PHA at all intervals tested after induction of uremia was eliminated by the removal of adherent spleen cells; and (4) adherent spleen cells, PMø, and AMø from chronically uremic rats are significantly more suppressive to control T cells than the corresponding control cells at all intervals tested after induction of uremia. Thus this animal model for chronic uremia is stable for at least 4 1/2 months and the effect of uremia on the response of lymphocytes to mitogens as well as on regulatory cells is not transient. Therefore this animal model can be used to study the effect of chronic uremia on the various parameters of the immune response.