Effect of the antiplatelet agents ticlopidine and dipyridamole on experimental immune complex glomerulonephritis in rats.

The effect of the antiplatelet agents ticlopidine and dipyridamole on immune complex glomerulonephritis in rats was evaluated. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) nephritis was induced in rats with subcutaneous immunization and intravenous dosage of BSA. Ticlopidine and dipyridamole were administered for 4 weeks before and for 7 days after onset of proteinuria. It was shown that both ticlopidine and dipyridamole could reduce the development of proteinuria when administered before the onset of proteinuria. Ticlopidine also reduced the amount of urinary protein after onset of proteinuria, and may thus be more effective against urinary protein excretion. When the antiplatelet agents were administered before onset of glomerulonephritis, blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine levels were significantly lower, and glomerular hypercellularity and mesangial widening were milder in animals treated with ticlopidine than in controls. Glomerular deposition of BSA was less intense in treated animals than in nontreated controls. Thus, ticlopidine as well as dipyridamole was found to inhibit the development of proteinuria and glomerular alteration. It is suggested that ticlopidine could be more effective than dipyridamole against the development of immune complex glomerulonephritis in rats.