Therapeutic effects of Ulinastatin on experimental crescentic glomerulonephritis in rats

Ulinastatin is a potent protease inhibitor purified from the human urine th at has been used clinically to treat acute pancreatitis and circulatory sho ck. In the current study, we evaluated the therapeutic effects of Ulinastat in in a rat model of crescentic glomerulonephritis (CrGN) and investigated its putative mechanisms. Wistar-Kyoto rats were injected with nephrotoxic s erum and received daily intraperitoneal injection of Ulinastatin. Ulinastat in treatment significantly reduced proteinuria and glomerular crescentic fo rmation, Moreover, glomerular infiltration of neutrophils and ED1+ cells (m onocytes/macrophages) was significantly suppressed by Ulinastatin. In contr ast, the glomerular deposition of heterologous (rabbit) and autologous (rat ) antibodies was not changed. Neither serum complement activation nor the a nti-rabbit immune response was affected by Ulinastatin administration, Our results suggest that Ulinastatin has preventive effects on rat experimental CrGN, mediated at least in part by inhibiting intraglomerular infiltration of inflammatory cells, Copyright (C) 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel.