Duration of delayed-type autoimmunity against arterial vessel-wall antigens following acute hypertensive damage to arterial vessels in rats.

Acute hypertensive damage to small arteries and arterioles in rats was induced by intravenous injections of Hypertensin. The in vitro immunological method of the agarose migration technique was used to demonstrate delayed-type autoimmunity against arterial vessel-wall antigens. By this technique the autoimmunity could be demonstrated for about 16 weeks after the acute hypertensive damage to the arterial vessels. The results of the autoimmunity were given as migration indices. These were lowest during the first 4-5 weeks after the damage to the vessels whereupon they showed higher and higher values, and finally the migration indices were identical with those of the control rats after about 16 weeks.