The relationship of lysozyme to the nephropathy in chloroleukemic rats and the effects of lysozyme loading on normal rat kidneys.

Summary The Shay chloroleukemia in Wistar/Furth rats has been shown to produce large amounts of lysozyme (LZM) which accumulates in the kidneys and is eventually excreted in the urine. The proximal tubule cells of the tumor-bearing animals develop large complex cytoplasmic droplets containing the residua of degenerated membranes. Using specific anti-rat LZM and the immunoperoxidase method, increased amounts of LZM can be demonstrated in these tubules. Intraaortic injections of rat LZM into normal rats failed to fully reproduce these structural abnormalities, indicating the probability of other contributory factors to the nephropathy in the chloroleukemic animals.