Experimental study of the hepatic accumulation of the immune complex and its hepatocytotoxity

It was studied whether IgG-immune complexes were taken up by liver parenchymal cells and whether liver injury was induced by the immune complexes. When asialoorosomucoid, orosomucoid and human serum albumin immune complexes at various antigen-antibody ratios were infused into the portal vein of rats, the antibody-excess immune complexes were partly taken up by liver parenchymal cells via the asialoglycoprotein receptor. However, liver injury was not caused by the immune complexes. These observations suggest that 1) immune complexes at certain antigen-antibody ratios bind to the asialogycoprotein receptor, 2) immune complexes bound to the asialoglycoprotein receptor do not activate the complement system and 3) a transient increase in plasma immune complexes does not induce liver injury.