Background. It has been recently reported that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) exist in various tissues and that they exibit anti-inflammatory effects. Methods. We investigated the effects of PPAR activators on the development of crescentic glomerulonephritis. Crescentic glomerulonephritis was induced by the injection of rabbit anti-rat glomerular basement membrane antibody in WKY rats. Results. Administration of troglitazone suppressed urinary protein excretion and crescent formation as indicated by crescent scores. Pioglitazone, a PPAR activator, mimicked the effect of troglitazone, but bezafibrate, a PPAR-activator, did not. Immunohistology revealed that troglitazone and pioglitazone inhibited the infiltration of ED-1-positive monocyte/macrophages and CD8-positive cells into glomeruli. Conclusions. In the present study, we demonstrated that PPAR activators exert antinephritic effects by suppressing the recruitment of inflammatory cells via a PPAR-dependent mechanism.