Suppression of nephrotoxic serum nephritis in rats by prostaglandin E1.

The ability of specific prostaglandins to modulate the development of nephrotoxic serum nephritis (NSN) in rats has been examined. The nephrotoxicity of one intravenous injection of antibodies directed against rat glomerular basement membrane (GBM) was markedly suppressed by treatment with a stable analog of prostaglandin E1 (15-(S)-15-methyl PGE1; 15-M-PGE1). Prostaglandin E1 treatment was shown to suppress both glomerular hypercellularity and proteinuria, while the binding of specific antibody to the GBM was not altered. These studies indicate that certain prostaglandins may play an important role in the regulation of Type II immune reactions. Further investigations of the role of arachidonic acid products undoubtedly will provide valuable information regarding the modulation of tissue injury as a result of various inflammatory reactions.