Ultrastructural Changes of the Glomeruli of the Rat Induced by Indomethacin

Abstract

Since indomethacin diminishes the intensity of proteinuria in glomerulonephritis, experiments were undertaken to identify the morphological elements that might explain the reduction in the permeability of the glomerular capillary wall. In normal rats, the treatment with indomethacin produced first of all in the podocytes morphological signs of a possible activated function and in later stages a reaction of mesangial cells. The possible role of these two types of cells in the production of the basal membrane of the glomerular capillary, and the significance that their ‘activated function’ may have on the permeability of the capillary wall are discussed.