Ergotamine tends to produce a pattern of subjective effects that varies as a function of dose. Male albino rats were employed in this study as animal model and three different drug dosages of ergotamine were orally administrated. The higher dose of ergotamine caused severe damage to the kidney tissue. When treated with a dose of 0.03 mg/0.5 ml of ergotamine slight changes in the interstitium and glomeruli and inflammation with increased in the cellularity of the glomeruli was obvious. At an acute dose (1.25 mg/3 ml), destruction of the glomerular structure and Bowman's capsule was seen. Slight changes on haematological parameter were observed, no bacteremia was detected and faecal samples were also normal. In vitro studies, ergotamine slowly induces well-sustained vasoconstriction that can not be eliminated with drug washout.
