Isolation and quantitation of immune complexes in diabetic syrian hamsters: a chronological study.

Immune complexes (IC) were isolated from the serum of streptozotocin (Sz)-induced diabetic hamsters by coprecipitation with an equine rheumatoid-C1q factor (RhC). The IC, comprised of an unknown antigen(s) and IgG, occurred at 2 distinct time intervals during the 12-week chronological study. Although all diabetic hamsters with hyperglycemia of 300 mg/dl had IC, there was no correlation between the occurrence or concentration of IC and the degree of hyperglycemia. The cycling nature of IC in the serum of diabetic hamsters suggests that the antigen component either fluctuates chronologically or that the IC contain different antigens that do not occur simultaneously.