ABSTRACT
Amyloidosis is a disorder of protein folding in which normally soluble proteins are deposited extracellularly in the tissues as abnormal insoluble fibrils that accumulate and damage the structure and function of affected organs. AA amyloidosis can be induced in mice experimentally through injection of certain chemical or biological compounds, including casein, silver nitrate, Freund’s adjuvant (FA), and lipopolysaccharide. Susceptibility to amyloid induction was compared in two strains of mice subjecting each group of BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice to multiple injections of casein or complete FA. BALB/c mice given FA had a progressive rise of amyloid deposits in the spleen, which reached the same level as in C-treated animals. The chapter concludes that different experimental conditions impose striking effects on the occurrence, frequency and distribution of amyloid deposits within the organs, and variation due to agent strain and mouse strain.
