Experimental autoimmune hepatitis in mice following immunization with syngeneic liver proteins.

In this study, we describe the successful induction of experimental autoimmune hepatitis by immunizing inbred strains of mice with syngeneic liver antigens. Hepatic lesions, presumably based on autoimmune mechanisms, induced after 3 weekly immunizations were of only moderate degree. Of the various mouse strains used, C57BL/6 mice showed the most prominent histological changes of the liver, which were accompanied by elevated serum alanine aminotransferase levels. This system offers a potential model for further investigating experimental autoimmune hepatitis.