NATURAL AUTOANTIBODIES IN CHRONIC GLOMERULONEPHRITIS

We studied serum natural IgG, IgM and IgA autoantibodies against a wid e range of antigens (collagen I, collagen III, collagen IV, collagen V , elastin and DNA) and gliadin in 98 healthy persons, 45 patients with lupus nephritis (LN) and 48 patients with other forms of chronic glom erulonephritis (GN) by ELISA. The results confirm the occurrence of au toantibodies of the three isotypes in healthy individuals, and multipl e significant deviations in their amounts, mainly in IgG and IgM, in p atients with chronic GN. In LN patients, several specific types of aut oantibodies showed increased levels. The clinical importance of the ch anges in serum natural autoantibodies in GN is not clear, but refers t o their regulatory role in immune response.