Evaluation of the ameliorative effects of immunosuppressants on crescentic glomerulonephritis in SCG/Kj mice.

The therapeutic efficacy of immunosuppressants for treating rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN) with crescent formation remains controversial. SCG/Kj mice spontaneously develop RPGN-like symptoms, characteristic of crescentic glomerulonephritis and systemic small vessel vasculitis, associated with the presence of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA). We evaluated the "ameliorative", not prophylactic, effects of immunosuppressive agents, deoxyspergualin (DSG), cyclophosphamide (CYC) and prednisolone (PDN), on RPGN in these mice.

NK95806, a newly synthesized microtubule-disrupting agent that suppresses collagen-induced arthritis in mice.

We investigated the anti-arthritic effects of NK95806, a novel inhibitor of microtubule polymerization, on collagen-induced arthritis in mice. The suppressive effect of NK95806 on the induction and development of arthritis was shown as a significant reduction in clinical arthritis scores. Histological analysis of the hind paws confirmed the improvement in clinical severity and showed marked decreases in granulomatous formation and further bone destruction.