Urinary excretion of kidney antigens in experimental renal diseases of the rat.

Urine samples of healthy rats and animals with experimentally induced nephropathies were tested with precipitating anti-kidney sera, which had been made relatively organ-specific by absorption with diverse tissues. Kidney antigens were not detected in unconcentrated urine of control rats. On the other hand, kidney antigens were demonstrated in the unconcentrated urine of a significant number of animals with toxic nephropathies, produced by mercuric chloride or uranyl nitrate, haemoglobinuric nephrosis, osmotic nephrosis, ischaemic parenchymal damage and acute hydronephrosis. The duration of urinary excretion of renal tissue constituents varied from one animal to another in the same group as well as from one experimental model to another. The described serological test may be of diagnostic and prognostic significance in the evaluation of diseases in which tissue breakdown occurs.