Figure 5

Antibody immunofluorescence (IF) analysis. A: Detection of antinuclear autoantibodies (ANA) by indirect IF using serum from the mercury-treated rats with phase III lesions, incubated on HEp-2 cells. Both nucleolar and nuclear cytoplasmic fluorescences are noted. Bar=50 μm. B: The reciprocal titer of IgG ANA in test serum samples from the rats in control and various phases. Horizontal bars denote median values. *, significantly different at p<0.05 compared with phase I. Controls show no titers. C: The reciprocal titer of autoantibodies bound to renal capillaries and basement membrane (BM) of the oral mucosa by indirect IF analysis. Horizontal bars denote median values. *, significantly different at p<0.05 compared with phases I. Controls show no titers. D: Indirect IF images of autoantibodies in the renal capillaries and basement membrane (BM) of the oral mucosa using serum from Brown Norway (BN) rats with phase III lesions. (A) IF reaction of the renal capillaries and mesangium is seen in the normal kidney. (B) IF labeling on the BM of the oral epithelium in normal tongue. Bars= 100 μm.