Hypercatabolism of IgG in mice with lupus-like syndrome

The metabolism of radioiodinated mouse IgG was studied in mice with lupus-like syndrome before and after the onset of the disease. Before the onset of the disease, the pharmacokinetic parameters of IgG in MLR-lpr and Pristane-primed Balb/c mice were within the normal range of values. After the onset of the disease a considerable increase in the catabolic rate of IgG was recorded abbreviating its half life to less than one third of the normal value. The increased catabolism of IgG could not be related to the concentration- catabolism effect or to the presence of rheumatoid factor and autoantibody or to the IgG loss through the kidney and gastrointestinal tract. The hypercatabolism of IgG was explained by disease-induced impairment of the function of the receptor FcRn, which regulates the homeostasis of IgG.