Immunological profiles in patients with chronic glomerulonephritis - abstract

ABSTRACT

The objectives of the study were to determine the humoral and cellular immunological profiles of 14 patients with chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) who were about to be dialyzed. Fourteen healthy subjects matched for age, sex and ethnic origin served as controls. Serum IgG levels showed no significant difference in the two groups. However, serum IgA levels were elevated (p<0.01) but serum IgM levels were suppressed (p<0.001). Immune complexes (IC) were prepared by the polyethylene glycol 6,000 precipitation method and their immunoglobulin content measured. The IgG and IgM levels in IC were markedly depressed (p<0.001, p<0.001 respectively. IgG subclass determinations showed that IgG1 and IgG3 were essentially the same in patients and controls. The IgG2 level, however, was markedly elevated (p<0.02) in patients. Cellular immune responses to the rheumatogenic M41 and to the nephritogenic M55 cell membrane antigens at 3 concentrations (100, 10, 1 ug/ml) as well as to phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) a non-specific mitogen, were measured. In patients, there was depressed cellular sensitivity to the M55 antigen at all 3 concentrations (p<0.01; p§.05; p<0.05, respectively). This suppression was greatly exaggerated when cellular sensitivity to the M55 antigen at the same 3 concentrations was measured (p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001 respectively. Patients and controls showed no difference in their response to PHA. These results suggest that both the cellular and humoral immunological factors play a role in the pathogenesis of chronic renal disease (AU)