Semiquantitative determination of liver specific antigen in the urine or rats with toxic hepatic necrosis.

Using Mancini's single radial immunodiffusion technique, the excretion of a liver specific saline soluble antigen was semiquantitatively assayed in the urine of rats with thioacetamine induced hepatic necrosis. The relative amounts of antigen detected in the urine were found to roughly correlate with the extent of necrotic liver parenchyma. It is suggested that a quantitative approach to histuria may provide clinically relevant information on the activity of pathologic processes associated with release of organ specific antigens from degenerative and necrotic lesions into the circulation (histemia) and thence into the urine.