Platelets are not critical effector cells for the time course of murine passive crescentic glomerulonephritis

Although platelets are well-known effector cells of inflammatory renal disease, clinical studies were not able to establish platelet inhibition as an effective therapy. Our previous studies using Vasodilator stimulated Phosphoprotein- and P2Y1-deficient mice suggested some early, but no long-term effects of platelets in passive crescentic glomerulonephritis. To define the role of platelets for this disease model, passive crescentic glomerulonephritis was induced in 72 C57Bl/6 mice by intraperitoneal injection of sheep anti-rabbit glomerular basement membrane antibody on 2 consecutive days. Platelets were depleted using anti-glycoprotein Ibα antibodies (p0p3/p0p4) every 4th day. Mice treated with equal amounts of sterile Phosphate buffered solution or rat-IgG served as controls. Blood, urine, and tissues were harvested on days 3 and 28. Renal tissue sections were evaluated after immunostaining using (semi)quantitative and computer-assisted image analysis. Compared to controls, efficient depletion was achieved as indicated by a markedly prolonged bleeding time and a more than 90% reduction in platelet counts (800/nl vs. 42/nl; P < 0.001). Functional (creatinine-clearance and proteinuria) parameters demonstrated no significant differences between the groups. Neither parameters of renal injury (glomerulosclerosis and fibrosis) nor glomerular/tubulointerstitial matrix expansion (by collagen IV staining), glomerular capillary rarefaction (lectin staining), and the glomerular/tubulointerstitial proliferative response (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) demonstrated any differences between platelet-depleted mice and PBS- or rat-IgG-treated nephritic mice at any time point. Despite effective platelet inhibition/depletion, neither the short- nor long-term course of passive crescentic nephrotoxic nephritis was affected. These data indicate that platelets play a minor role during the time course of this disease model in the mouse.