Studies of animal models of "toxaemia" with respect of fibrinogen and platelet survival and selectivity of proteinuria.

Selenomethionine labelling of platelets and fibrinogen has been used in normal pregnant rats, and in non-pregnant and pregnant rats subjected to vasoconstriction by the use of ergometrine, pitressin, and 5-hydroxytryptophan. Since the latter agent only produced a generalised defibrination syndrome in pregnant animals, it is deduced that intravascular coagulation in ‘toxaemia’ also is within the placental bed. Further observations on DOCA hypertension microangiopathy emphasise the similarity of this model to malignant hypertension but its dissimilarity to toxaemia. Evidence from glomerular protein selectivity studies in rabbits indicates those mechanisms that cause increasing unselectivity of proteinuria.