The biologic activity of mast cell granules. IV. The effect of complement depletion on rat cutaneous late phase reactions.

Cutaneous late phase reactions (LPR) in rats can be induced by the intradermal injection of anti-IgE antibody or isolated rat peritoneal mast cell granules. Rat LPR are characterized by neutrophil-rich infiltrates at 2 to 8 hr followed by mononuclear cell-rich infiltrates thereafter. Rat Arthus reactions are histologically similar and are complement (C) dependent. To determine the importance of C in the pathogenesis of rat LPR compared with its role in Arthus reactions, rats were treated with cobra venom factor (CVF) (250 U/kg i.v.), and the effects of this treatment on total hemolytic complement (CH50), C3 titers, LPR, and Arthus reactions were assessed. CVF treatment produced profound decreases in both CH50 (from 197 +/- 20 to less than 1.0 U/ml) and C3 (from 44,240 +/- 2840 to less than 5 U/ml) titers after 6 hr, which persisted through at least 30 hr. The inflammatory intensity of heterologous reverse passive Arthus reactions was significantly decreased in CVF-treated animals. In contrast, the intensity of LPR was unaffected by CVF treatment. Therefore, although LPR and Arthus reactions share certain histologic characteristics, these similarities are not due to a mutual requirement for the presence of C.