Homologous Disease in the Adult Rat, a Model for Autoimmune Disease

Abstract

The cutaneous lesions of adult rats with homologous disease are described, and evidence is presented to indicate that they have an immunologic basis. The skin changes included erythema, purpura, edema, and a variety of inflammatory lesions. In the more active lesions, dermal infiltration, hydropic degeneration, acanthosis, and atrophy of the epidermis with hyperkeratosis and follicular plugging were present. In some cases, ulceration and sloughing were also observed. More chronic lesions were characterized by atrophy of the epidermis and collagenization of the dermis with disappearance of the skin appendages. Rejection of autografts was observed simultaneously with acceptance of homografts. The histologic appearance of autografts undergoing rejection was similar to that of the spontaneous skin lesions, suggesting that the latter, too, had an immunologic basis. In favor of this, also, was the specificity of the dermatitis for the skin of the host, with sparing of neighboring homograft tissue. There was a histologic similarity between the spontaneous skin lesions of homologous disease and those of lupus erythematosus on the one hand, and scleroderma on the other, thus supporting the possibility that the cutaneous lesions of these connective tissue diseases of man may also have an immunologic basis. It was concluded that the adult rat with homologous disease may furnish a model for human autoimmune disease.

Lymphomas as Sequelae of the Transplantation of CO₂ -Treated Skin Autografts in Mice

“…When allogeneic disease is induced in parent-* Fi hybrid strain combina tions, it is considered to serve as an experimental model for autoimmune disease in man (15,35,48). There are, however, differences concerning the nature of the antigen and the immunological status of tire host between the experiments described here and the two former instances just mentioned.…”

The Parent-into-F1 Model of Graft-vs-Host Disease as a Model of In Vivo T Cell Function and Immunomodulation

“…Prior to the identification of lymphocyte subsets, experiments in rats had demonstrated that the injection of immunogically competent cells into newborns, F1 hybrids, irradiated recipients or tolerized adults could induce a condition termed homologous disease characterized by features resembling human connective tissue disease [1][2][3][4][5][6]. It was subsequently shown in mice that the transfer of homozygous parental strain lymphocytes into normal F1 recipients induced a graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD), which resembled homologous disease in rats.…”

Lymphokine stimulation of collagen accumulation.

“…Anti-PSS patients (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)29). In rats with graft-versus-host disease, Stastny et al (30) have observed sclerodermalike changes in the skin. A recent indication of the participation of abnormal cellular immunity in PSS has been furnished by Currie et al (31), who observed that lymphocytes from PSS patients with myositis produced cytopathic alterations in fibroblast cultures.…”