Background: Immunization of laboratory animals is a new model system for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the autoimmunity of SLE.
Objective: Review the published reports describing immunization as a model of SLE and describe the state of this research as well as future objectives as related to human illness.
Methods: Medline search for relevant articles as well as review of cited bibliographies.
Results: Either rabbits or mice can be immunized with proteins or oligopeptides that are lupus autoantigens with a resulting immune response not just to the immunogen but instead to a host of other self components that are also SLE-associated autoantigens. Several studies have noted clinical illness in these animals that resembles human SLE. In addition, injection of pristane (a component of mineral oil) also results in SLE-like autoimmunity, even though lupus autoantigens are not present. Pristane injected animals may also develop an SLE-like illness. There are reports of human SLE having its onset after immunization, but there have been no prospective studies.
Conclusions: Studies are needed to determine whether human SLE tends to begin soon after immunization. Meanwhile, continued study of animal models developed after immunization is needed in order to determine the relevance of this model to human disease.
Relevance: SLE and/or SLE-like autoimmunity can be triggered after immunization of animals. This may be a model for an environmental trigger of human SLE.