The effect of unilateral nephrectomy on the nephrotoxicity of mercuric chloride in the rat

Unilateral nephrectomy (UNX) induces a dramatic change in single-kidney structure and function. Therefore, the effects of nephrotoxins may be altered. To evaluate this possibility, mercuric chloride (2 mg/kg, sc) was given to male, Sprague-Dawley rats 2 days following either UNX or sham surgery. Nonoliguric acute renal failure developed and was qualitatively similar in both groups. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) reached a nadir on Day 2 and was reduced to a greater extent in the UNX group. Furthermore, recovery of GFR was slower and occurred to a lesser extent by Day 10 in the animals subjected to UNX. Evidence of significant tubular dysfunction was present during the acute phase in both groups, as reflected by changes in the fractional excretion of sodium or lysozyme. Persistent tubular dysfunction was noted on Day 10 in both the sham and UNX groups, but the degree of dysfunction was greater in the UNX animals. The in vitro uptake of organic ions by renal cortical slices was reduced 24 hr following the injection of mercuric chloride although no difference was seen between the experimental groups. Mercury content within renal cortex was not increased in the UNX group at 1 or 3 hr but was higher 24 hr postinjection. Total urinary mercury excretion during the first day was not altered by UNX although single-kidney excretion was increased dramatically. These studies suggest that rats are more susceptible to mercuric chloride-induced nephrotoxicity 2 days following UNX. Although the mechanism(s) of this enhanced injury remains unclear, it does not appear to be completely related to an increase in renal cortical mercury content.     

Enhanced accumulation of injected inorganic mercury in renal outer medulla after unilateral nephrectomy

The effects of unilateral nephrectomy on renal accumulation and intrarenal distribution of mercury following a single injection of mercuric chloride (HgCl2, 0.5 mumol Hg/kg body wt, ip) were evaluated in the rat. In rats injected with HgCl2 immediately after nephrectomy or 10, 28, or 43 days after nephrectomy, the accumulation of mercury in the renal outer medulla was significantly greater than in respective sham-operated control rats. The increased accumulation of mercury in renal outer medulla was evident at 24 hr after injection of HgCl2 and persisted for at least 72 hr. The effect appeared to be a phenomenon associated specifically with the renal outer medulla in that elevated concentrations of mercury in the outer medulla were observed in the absence of similar elevations in the renal cortex, inner medulla, liver, and blood or in the whole body mercury content. Urinary excretion of mercury was unaffected by nephrectomy. Thus, associated with unilateral nephrectomy are changes in the renal accumulation and intrarenal distribution of systemically administered inorganic mercury that persist long after the rapid phase of compensatory renal growth (0-7 days) is completed.     

Dose-response studies of gentamicin nephrotoxicity in rats with experimental renal dysfunction. I. Subtotal surgical nephrectomy

Gentamicin pharmacokinetics and nephrotoxicity have not been widely studied in animals with preexisting renal dysfunction, despite the fact that nephrotoxicity is a continuing manifestation of clinical therapy. The present study contrasted the dose-response nephrotoxicity of gentamicin in control rats with that of rats with renal insufficiency secondary to subtotal (2/3) surgical nephrectomy. Total daily doses ranging from 0 to 120 mg/kg were given in a divided regimen, every 8 hr and doses were reduced by doubling the interval in subtotally nephrectomized (Nx) rats, in proportion to impaired renal elimination on the first day of gentamicin administration. Estimates of renal function, including creatinine clearance, fractional sodium and potassium excretion, and serum creatinine and urea nitrogen, were collected after 6 and 12 days of dosing. In addition, urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase excretion (6 days), in vitro renal cortical slice accumulation of tetraethylammonium (TEA) (6 days), quantified morphological lesions (12 days), and renal gentamicin concentrations (6 days) were examined. Pharmacokinetic data collected immediately after the first dose revealed a reduced gentamicin clearance and slightly reduced volume of distribution, with a corresponding prolonged half-life in the Nx rats. Based on statistical analysis of the dose-response relationships, Nx rats were functionally resistant to gentamicin nephrotoxicity after 6 days of dosing. This resistance was partially reversed by 12 days dosing, despite light-microscopic evidence of greater structural damage in the control rats. Renal parenchymal gentamicin concentrations were lower at some doses in the Nx rats, in contrast to the higher fractional reabsorption found in these rats at all doses. TEA transport was depressed at all doses in control rats but not at the lower doses in Nx rats, indicating that resistance was partially mediated at the level of the proximal tubular epithelium. This study demonstrates altered gentamicin pharmacokinetics and nephrotoxicity in a surgical model of renal dysfunction in rats.     

High dietary protein regimens provide significant protection from mercury nephrotoxicity in rats

The effects of high protein dietary regimens prior to the administration of inorganic mercury were investigated. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were pair-fed on purified test diets containing either normal (20%) or high (60%) concentrations of protein. Mercury was administered as a single intravenous injection of mercuric chloride (1 mg/kg). All rats maintained on normal dietary protein prior to and following mercury injection exhibited severe kidney dysfunction, extensive necrosis of both second (S2) and third (S3) segments of the kidney proximal tubules, and 100% mortality. In contrast, rats maintained on high dietary protein for 48 hr or longer just prior to mercury injection and returned to normal dietary protein immediately following mercury administration all survived and exhibited normal serum creatinine and BUN values within 4 days following mercury administration. The kidneys of this latter group took up significantly less radiolabeled mercury during the first 12 hr following mercury injection, and exhibited relatively little damage to the second segments (S2) of the proximal tubules. The third segments (S3) of the proximal tubules, however, exhibited the same degree of necrosis as that observed in the control group. Maintaining rats on high dietary protein regimens for shorter periods of time prior to mercury infusion (i.e., 12 or 24 hr) also dramatically reduced subsequent acute renal failure and improved survival, although not to the extent noted following 48 hr or longer on these diets. These observations suggested that high dietary protein regimens may protect from mercury nephrotoxicity by reducing mercury uptake to the second segments (S2) of the proximal tubules during the initial period of exposure to intravenously administered mercury.     

Altered intrarenal accumulation of mercury in uninephrectomized rats treated with methylmercury chloride.

We tested the hypothesis that the intrarenal accumulation of mercury in rats treated with methylmercury is altered significantly as a result of unilateral nephrectomy and compensatory renal growth. Renal accumulation of mercury was evaluated by radioisotopic techniques in both uninephrectomized (NPX) and sham-operated (SO) rats 1, 2, and 7 days after the animals received a nonnephrotoxic intravenous dose of methylmercury chloride (5 mg/kg Hg). At all times studied after the injection of the dose of methylmercury, the renal accumulation of mercury (on a per gram kidney basis) was significantly greater in the NPX rats than that in the SO rats. The increased accumulation was due to a specific increase in the accumulation of mercury in the outer stripe of the outer medulla. Renal cortical accumulation of mercury was similar in both the NPX and SO rats. The percentage of the administered dose of mercury that was present in the total renal mass of the NPX and SO rats ranged between 5 and 15, depending on the day that the renal accumulation was studied. Approximately 40-50% of the total renal burden of mercury in both the NPX and SO rats was in the inorganic form. However, only less than 1% of the mercury in blood was in the inorganic form at the three times accumulation was studied. Very little mercury was excreted in the urine by either the NPX or SO rats. Only about 2 to 3% of the administered dose of mercury was excreted in the urine in 7 days. By contrast, the cumulative fecal excretion of mercury over 7 days was substantial in the NPX and SO rats, and significantly more mercury was excreted in the feces by the NPX rats (about 19% of the dose) than by that in the SO rats (about 16% of the dose). In conclusion, our findings indicate that unilateral nephrectomy and compensatory renal growth cause a significant increase in the accumulation of mercury in the renal outer stripe of the outer medulla in rats exposed to methylmercury. In addition, the findings indicate that the fecal excretion of mercury is also significantly increased.     

Urinary porphyrin profiles as biomarkers of trace metal exposure and toxicity: Studies on urinary porphyrin excretion patterns in rats during prolonged exposure to methyl mercury

Studies were conducted to define the specific changes in the urinary porphyrin excretion pattern (porphyrin profile) and the time course of those changes in rats exposed to mercury as methyl mercury hydroxide (MMH) at 5 or 10 ppm in the drinking water for up to 30 weeks. The urinary porphyrin profile elicited by MMH is uniquely characterized by highly elevated levels of 4- and 5-carboxyl porphyrins, and of a third atypical porphyrin with as yet undetermined chemical characteristics. Changes in the porphyrin profile were observed as early as 1 or 2 weeks following initiation of exposure to MMH at 10 or 5 ppm, respectively, and were sustained as long as 40 weeks following cessation of MMH treatment. The magnitude of the urinary porphyrin profile at either MMH dose level increased progressively during the course of mercury treatment and was highly correlated with the renal mercury concentration. A subsequent decline in the magnitude of the urinary porphyrin profile in animals exposed to 10 ppm MMH for more than 10 weeks was associated with the accumulation of high levels of Hg2+ in kidney cells and loss of renal functional status. These findings demonstrate that mercury elicits a unique change in the urinary porphyrin excretion pattern which is related to the dose and duration of mercury treatment. The association of urinary porphyrin excretion rates with renal mercury content and functional status suggests that urinary porphyrin profiles may serve as a useful biomarker of mercury accumulation and nephrotoxicity during prolonged mercury exposure.     

Simultaneous Coexposure to Inorganic Mercury and Cadmium: A Study of the Renal and Hepatic Disposition of Mercury and Cadmium

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of simultaneous coexposure to inorganic mercury and cadmium on the renal and hepatic disposition of each metal. Dispositional changes were assessed in rats 1 h and 24 h after the coexposure to relatively low doses of the metals (which individually are nonnephrotoxic in rats). The rational for studying mercury and cadmium is that both of these metals are encountered frequently in the same contaminated areas. Coadministration of a 0.5-µmol/kg dose of mercuric chloride with a 10-µmol/kg dose of cadmium chloride resulted in a decrease in the net renal accumulation of inorganic mercury at 1 and 24 h after exposure. Assessment of the disposition of both metals in renal zones indicates that the decreased renal accumulation of inorganic mercury was due specifically to changes in the accumulation of mercury in the renal cortex. Coexposure to inorganic mercury and cadmium also caused both the hepatic accumulation of mercury and the urinary excretion of mercury to increase during the initial 24 h after coexposure. During the initial 1 h after coexposure, the content of mercury in the blood was enhanced significantly. However, by the end of the first 24 h after exposure, the content of mercury in the blood was lower than that in animals treated with only inorganic mercury, likely due to the increased urinary excretion of mercury. Interestingly, with the exception of decreased fecal excretion of cadmium, no other changes in the disposition of cadmium were detected in the animals treated with both mercury and cadmium. These novel findings indicate that at the doses of inorganic mercury and cadmium used in the present study, cadmium has profound effects on the renal and hepatic handling of mercury. Based on the present findings, it appears that cadmium [by some currently unknown mechanism(s)] interferes with the luminal and/or basolateral uptake and/or net accumulation of mercury along S 1 and S 2 segments of the proximal tubules, which results in an overall decrease in the renal burden of mercury and an increased rate in the urinary excretion of mercury.     

Simultaneous coexposure to inorganic mercury and cadmium: a study of the renal and hepatic disposition of mercury and cadmium

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of simultaneous coexposure to inorganic mercury and cadmium on the renal and hepatic disposition of each metal. Dispositional changes were assessed in rats 1 h and 24 h after the coexposure to relatively low doses of the metals (which individually are nonnephrotoxic in rats). The rational for studying mercury and cadmium is that both of these metals are encountered frequently in the same contaminated areas. Coadministration of a 0.5- micromol/kg dose of mercuric chloride with a 10- micromol/kg dose of cadmium chloride resulted in a decrease in the net renal accumulation of inorganic mercury at 1 and 24 h after exposure. Assessment of the disposition of both metals in renal zones indicates that the decreased renal accumulation of inorganic mercury was due specifically to changes in the accumulation of mercury in the renal cortex. Coexposure to inorganic mercury and cadmium also caused both the hepatic accumulation of mercury and the urinary excretion of mercury to increase during the initial 24 h after coexposure. During the initial 1 h after coexposure, the content of mercury in the blood was enhanced significantly. However, by the end of the first 24 h after exposure, the content of mercury in the blood was lower than that in animals treated with only inorganic mercury, likely due to the increased urinary excretion of mercury. Interestingly, with the exception of decreased fecal excretion of cadmium, no other changes in the disposition of cadmium were detected in the animals treated with both mercury and cadmium. These novel findings indicate that at the doses of inorganic mercury and cadmium used in the present study, cadmium has profound effects on the renal and hepatic handling of mercury. Based on the present findings, it appears that cadmium [by some currently unknown mechanism(s)] interferes with the luminal and/or basolateral uptake and/or net accumulation of mercury along S1 and S2 segments of the proximal tubules, which results in an overall decrease in the renal burden of mercury and an increased rate in the urinary excretion of mercury.     

Renal effects of in utero exposure to mercuric chloride in rats

The transplacental nephrotoxicity of mercuric chloride has been studied in female Sprague-Dawley rats. Mercuric chloride was injected s. c. to rats at the dose of 1 mg/kg during the last 8 gestational days or the whole pregnancy. Both mothers and newborns developed a transient renal dysfunction resulting in an increased urinary excretion of beta₂-microglobulin and albumin. In mothers and their female offspring, these effects were completely reversible and did not influence the subsequent evolution of the renal function. In the male offspring, however, transitory changes in protein excretion were again observed a few months later, concomitantly with an enhanced accumulation of alpha_2u-globulin in the kidney. The transfer of mercury from maternal to fetal tissues was very small. The kidney concentrations of mercury in newborns were more than 300 times lower than in mothers. The barrier role of the placenta is not sufficient to prevent the occurrence of renal effects in the offspring of rats treated with inorganic mercury during pregnancy.     

Intermediary metabolism of the mature rat following 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin treatment

Changes in body weight, feed intake, hepatic cellularity, and intermediary metabolism were assessed in the mature male (450 g) rat following 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) administration. All animals were schedule-fed (8-hr feeding period/24 hr) and treated with a single oral dose of either TCDD (75 micrograms/kg) or vehicle. Blood and tissues were sampled 16 to 18 hr following the end of the feeding period on 2, 4, 6, and 8 days post-treatment. Mature rats treated with TCDD exhibited a slight but progressive reduction in both body weight and feed intake throughout the 8-day experimental period. An increase in liver mass that was apparent at 2 days and plateaued by 4 days after TCDD treatment was associated with a decrease in the concentration of DNA per gram of wet liver. However, the total liver content of DNA in TCDD-treated rats remained similar to pair-fed animals. Thus, TCDD treatment produced liver enlargement in the mature rat that was the result of hepatocellular hypertrophy and not an increase in cell number. Hepatic glycogen content in TCDD-treated rats was threefold higher than their pair-fed counterparts at 2 to 6 days post-treatment, and this augmentation would account, in part, for the hypertrophy of the liver cell found after administration of TCDD. Plasma glucose and lactate concentrations were similar in TCDD-treated and pair-fed rats, suggesting that the Cori cycle remained unaltered following TCDD administration. Likewise, heart and gastrocnemius glycogen concentrations were similar in all experimental groups. Urinary excretion of urea, ammonia, and creatinine was comparable in TCDD-treated rats and their pair-fed counterparts, indicative of a nitrogen balance that was not disturbed by TCDD. Plasma glutamine concentrations in TCDD-treated rats tended to be reduced and were significantly lower at Day 6 post-treatment when compared to those of pair-fed counterparts, suggestive that amino acid release from muscle was not enhanced in TCDD-treated rats. Likewise, plasma concentrations of branched-chain amino acids, which are metabolized to a large extent in muscle, tended to be lower on Day 6 following TCDD treatment. Yet at Day 6 post-treatment, the circulating concentrations of amino acids that are metabolized by the liver were elevated in TCDD-treated animals. TCDD administration also resulted in an increase in total hepatic protein concentration which was evident at 4 days and increased progressively at 6 and 8 days post-treatment. Liver content of phospholipids also increased gradually following administration of TCDD.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

A study of the protective effect of chloride salts on cisplatin nephrotoxicity

In rats NaCl and NH4Cl (25 mmoles/kg, p.o.) were found to be equally effective at preventing nephrotoxicity when administered to rats 90 min before cisplatin (5 mg/kg i.p.) but (NH4)2SO4 did not protect. The severity of nephrotoxicity, taken as the maximum elevation in blood urea concentration, showed a high degree of correlation with urinary chloride concentration, but not with urinary pH or volume. Sodium chloride did not protect against nephrotoxicity when administered 3 or 24 hr after cisplatin. Sodium chloride showed protection against nephrotoxicity caused by cisplatin metabolites only at low doses of platinum. For animals pretreated with NaCl (25 mmoles/kg) or water p.o. the urinary excretion of total platinum, cisplatin and six of the seven metabolites separated by hplc was not significantly different between the two treatments during the 0-5-hr period post dosing. However, one metabolite, possibly a nephrotoxic hydrolysis product, was excreted in significantly smaller amounts in the urine of animals pretreated with NaCl (P less than 0.05). Furthermore, in all cisplatin treated animals the amount of this species excreted correlated with the severity of nephrotoxicity. Whilst this suggests that chloride ions may protect against the nephrotoxicity of cisplatin by inhibiting its rate of metabolism this metabolite accounts for only 2.5% of the platinum excreted. Furthermore, the data do not exclude the possibility that NaCl prevents cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity by preventing renal ischaemia, which may normally follow cisplatin treatment, or that the renal uptake or transport of platinum may be inhibited by NaCl.     

Feeding but not salt loading is the dominant factor controlling urinary dopamine excretion in conscious rats

Summary We studied urinary dopamine excretion in three different groups of rats after the following treatment regimens: normal chow and tap water (controls, CON), normal chow and 1 % NaCl as drinking water (high salt, HS), and chow with low sodium content plus tap water (low salt, LS). On days 5 and 7 of the respective dietary treatment, rats were placed in metabolic cages. Using a cross over design, chow was given (fed) or withheld (fasted). Urine was collected for 24 h and analyzed for sodium, creatinine, and dopamine.Urinary dopamine excretion did not change in proportion to large differences in sodium excretion in fasted animals. Sodium excretion was enhanced (45%) due to feeding only in the CON group but not in HS and LS rats. However, there was a striking increase in renal dopamine excretion in fed compared to fasted animals, irrespective of their sodium diet: 2.5-fold in CON, 2-fold in HS, and 1.8-fold in LS rats. Urinary creatinine excretion was significantly elevated during the feeding condition compared to fasted animals in all treatment groups.Our results demonstrate that urinary dopamine excretion is dominantly influenced by feeding but not by oral sodium intake in conscious rats. We conclude that (1) the dietary state of the animals should be controlled in experiments on renal dopamine production, (2) renally formed dopamine could be involved in the functional response of the kidney to oral food intake. Correspondence to: B. Mühlbauer     

Early onset of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in streptozotocin-diabetic rats treated with insulin

Mechanism of protection against cisplatin nephrotoxicity in streptozotocin-diabetic rats is unclear but is associated with decreased renal platinum accumulation. This study was designed to determine whether normalization of hyperglycaemia by insulin treatment to six week streptozotocin-diabetic rats reversed protection against cisplatin nephrotoxicity. Male Sprague-Dawley rats divided into 3 groups (n=10/group) (1) non-diabetic (2) untreated streptozotocin-diabetic and (3) insulin-treated streptozotocin-diabetic groups were rendered diabetic using streptozotocin (65 mg/kg body weight, intravenous). At the end of 6 weeks, Group 3 animals were treated with insulin (subcutaneously) for 21 days to normalize glucose. After 21 days of insulin treatment, the mean +/- S.D. plasma glucose (mg%) in Group 3 animals at 144.8 +/- 22.03, was significantly lower than Group 2 animals (412 +/- 24.69) and comparable to age-matched non-diabetic (Group 1) animals. Blood urea nitrogen at 24 hr after intraperitoneal administration of cisplatin (5 mg/kg body weight) increased by a factor 2.5 in Group 3 compared to 1.1 and 1.3 in Group 1 and Group 2 animals respectively. In the same animals, at 96 hr the blood area nitrogen increased by a factor of 3.2 and 2.9 in Group 1 and Group 3 respectively compared to 1.14 for Group 2 animals. Renal platinum levels in Group 1, Group 2 and Group 3 after 96 hr after cisplatin administration were 6.92 +/- 0.83, 3.46 +/- 0.77 & 6.20 +/- 0.64 (microg/g wet weight of tissue) respectively. Results indicate that 21 day insulin treatment to streptozotocin-diabetic animal reverses protection against cisplatin toxicity. Moreover, insulin treatment increased the susceptibility of streptozotocin-diabetic rats to cisplatin-induced renal toxicity.     

Protection against mercuric chloride by nephrotoxic agents which do not induce thionein

Kidney damage caused by the ip administration of 1.1 mg/kg mercury given as HgCl₂ was less marked in 7-week-old male rats when mercury was given 7 days after the administration of one of the following nephrotoxic agents: 20 mg/kg sodium chromate, 100 mg/kg p-aminophenol, or 500 mg/kg sodium maleate, or 14 days after the injection of 4.0 mg/kg uranyl acetate. All four nephrotoxic agents were given in sufficient doses to cause renal damage. In the first 3–4 days after the administration of the nephrotoxic agents they increased the urinary excretion of alkaline phosphatase, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, and lactic dehydrogenase and caused widespread necrosis in the proximal tubular cells. In the first 24 hr after the injection of mercury, the urinary excretion of the three enzymes tested was lower in pretreated than in nonpretreated rats. Tubular cell necrosis was also less extensive in pretreated than in nonpretreated rats, and calcification could be seen 10 days after mercury only in the kidneys of the nonpretreated rats. The decreased susceptibility of regenerating kidneys to the tubulotoxic effect of mercuric chloride seems to be a general phenomenon which is unrelated to the renal concentration of metallothionein or change in renal mercury uptake.     

Effects of age and sex on retention of mercury by methyl mercury-treated rats

Male and female Long Evans rats 7, 15, 20, 24, or 56 days old received a single subcutaneous injection of 1 μmol of methyl mercury-203/kg and the whole body retention of radiomercury was determined for up to 139 days thereafter. For rats dosed at 7 or 15 days of age, whole body clearance of mercury was extremely slow until animals reached 17 to 18 days of age. Subsequent excretion was monoexponential in the 7-day-old group and biexponential in the 15-day-old group. For rats dosed at 20, 24, or 56 days of age, onset of excretion was immediate and the pattern of clearance was biexponential. In rats dosed at 56 days of age, the retention of mercury by the average male and average female was significantly different (p = 0.001). No sexual difference in the estimate of whole body retention of mercury was seen in the other age groups. The presence of an interval of very slow excretion of mercury in young rats and the subsequent slower excretion of mercury in these animals than in rats dosed with methyl mercury later in life suggest that increased hazards of methyl mercury exposure in early life may be related to increased retention of the organomercurial or inorganic Hg.     

Hepatic and renal nonprotein sulfhydryl concentration following toxic doses of hexachloro-1,3-butadiene in the rat: The effect of Aroclor 1254, phenobarbitone,or SKF 525A treatment

A single ip administration of hexachloro-1,3-butadiene (HCBD) to male rats at 300 mg/kg produced a marked increase in liver and kidney water content, and organ-to-body weight ratio, over 24 hr. In the same animals the total nonprotein sulfhydryl content (NP-SH) of the liver was decreased, the nadir being a 60% reduction at 6 hr, whereas renal NP-SH remained unchanged. By 24 hr marked necrosis of the straight portion of the proximal renal tubules was seen, whereas the liver showed slightly fatty changes when examined by light microscopy. Increasing doses of HCBD up to 900 mg/kg ip produced a dose-related decrease in liver NP-SH, with no alteration in renal NP-SH. Treatment of rats with Aroclor 1254 prior to HCBD administration appeared to produce a small increase in the nephrotoxicity of HCBD without producing any liver changes, whereas treatment with either phenobarbitone or SKF 525A prior to HCBD administration did not modify the toxicity. It is suggested that in the kidney HCBD may be activated via a different metabolic pathway than in the liver and that this metabolism may be enhanced by Aroclor 1254 treatment.     

Effects of the chrysotherapeutic agents auranofin and gold sodium thiomalate on hepatic and renal drug metabolism and heme metabolism

These studies were designed to investigate the effects of the chrysotherapeutic agents auranofin and myochrysine (GST) on hepatic and renal drug-metabolizing enzymes and heme metabolism. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were either administered a single dose of auranofin (17, 34, or 68 mg/kg, p.o.) or administered daily doses of auranofin (0.2, 0.6, 2, 9, or 40 mg/kg/day, p.o.) or GST (1.2 or 5.8 mg/kg/day, i.p.) for 3 or 14 days. Rats were killed 24 h after the final treatment, and subcellular fractions of liver and kidney were prepared. Cytochrome P-450 (P-450) content and ethoxycoumarin-O-deethylase (ECOD), benzphetamine-N-demethylase (BPND), delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) synthetase, and heme oxygenase activities were determined. Twenty-four hours following single doses of auranofin, no effects on hepatic P-450, ECOD, or BPND were observed. Treatment with the positive control compounds, CoCl2 (60 mg/kg) and Co-protophorphyrin IX (33 mg/kg), produced decreases in all three variables at 24 hr. Auranofin, at 2 mg/kg, and GST treatment, at both doses, reduced hepatic P-450 and ECOD activity at 3 days. This effect was reversed with continued treatment for 14 days. BPND activity was unaffected at 3 days but was decreased at 14 days. Heme oxygenase activity was enhanced at 3 days and had returned to control activity at 14 days, while ALA synthetase was unaffected. With the exception of heme oxygenase, which was increased, renal variables were unaltered at 3 days. At 14 days, renal P-450 content was decreased in the high-dose auranofin group, heme oxygenase activity was increased in all groups, and ALA synthetase activity was elevated in high-dose auranofin animals. These data indicate that, at doses twenty times the human dose, auranofin and GST administration produced reversible decreases in hepatic and renal P-450 which may be the result of altered heme metabolism.     

Lack of Correlation between para-Aminophenol Toxicity in Vivo and in Vitro in Female Sprague--Dawley Rats

The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that para-aminophenol(PAP) nephrotoxicity is due to autooxidation. We compared renalfunctional responses following PAP administration to femaleSprague-Dawley rats and following incubation of renal proximaltubules with PAP. The concentrations of PAP selected for invitro incubations produced cytotoxicity (for example, a decreasein oxygen consumption or adenine nucleotide concentration) inrat renal epithelial cells or rabbit proximal tubule suspensions.In rats, PAP (300 mg/kg ip) caused proximal tubular necrosiswithin 24 hr. Changes in renal function 24 hr following PAPadministration included increased kidney weight and blood ureanitrogen concentration and decreased renal glutathione (GSH)content and adenine nucleotide concentrations. PAP did not causehepatic damage. Within 2–4 hr following PAP administration,renal GSH content and adenine nucleotide concentrations weresignificantly decreased. In renal cortical slices prepared fromPAP-treated rats, oxygen consumption and accumulation of organicions (para-aminohippurate and tetraethylammonium) were significantlydecreased compared with renal cortical slices prepared fromcontrol rats. In liver, GSH content was significantly decreasedfrom 1 to 4 hr following PAP administration. In contrast tothe effects of PAP in vivo, renal proximal tubules showed littleevidence of injury when incubated with 0.1 or 0.5 mM PAP forup to 4 hr in the presence or absence of amino acids in theincubation medium. When tubules were incubated with 1 mM PAPfor 4 hr in the presence of amino acids, GSH content, AMP concentration,and TEA uptake were significantly decreased. When amino acidswere removed from the incubation medium, 1 mM PAP caused decreasesin oxygen consumption and ATP concentration after 4 hr of incubation.Functional changes observed during incubation with PAP in vitrowere not consistent with functional changes observed in vivo.The discrepancy between PAP toxicity in vivo and in vitro suggeststhat autooxidation is unlikely to be responsible for PAP nephrotoxicityand that nephrotoxicity in vivo is primarily mediated by extrarenalbioactivation. Further, depletion of hepatic GSH content priorto changes in renal function suggests that PAP or a PAP metabolitemay conjugate with hepatic GSH. These observations suggest thatPAP nephrotoxicity may be mediated by PAP-GSH conjugates ratherthan autooxidation of PAP in the kidney.     

Effects of glutathione depletion on the acute nephrotoxic potential of arsenite and on arsenic metabolism in hamsters

Our previous study showed that pretreatment with buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), which inhibits glutathione synthesis, results in acute renal failure with oliguria in hamsters ingesting sodium arsenite (5 mg As/kg). For a deeper understanding of the relationship between arsenic metabolism and the subsequent development of nephrotoxicity, we studied excretion, tissue retention, biotransformation, pharmacokinetics, and histopathological events in the kidneys of hamsters both with and without BSO pretreatment. The total amount of arsenic excreted in the urine and feces within 72 hr of arsenite administration was more than fivefold lower in BSO-pretreated animals than in the controls without pretreatment (9.2 versus 53.4% of the arsenic dose). The persistence of high amounts of total arsenic was apparent in the blood, liver, and kidneys of BSO-pretreated hamsters, even though the content of inorganic arsenic steadily decreased with time. The disappearance of inorganic arsenic from the blood showed a biphasic elimination pattern characterized first by a rapid component with a half-life of 4.5 hr and second by a slower component with a half-life of 58.0 hr in the BSO-pretreated hamsters, while these half-lives were 0.6 and 11.0 hr, respectively, in the controls. BSO pretreatment not only impaired the excretion of inorganic arsenic, but also impaired its methylation. Combined BSO/arsenite treatment resulted in renal tubular necrosis which was prominent at 1 hr after arsenite administration. By 1 hr, the renal content of inorganic arsenic in the BSO-pretreated animals was 1.7 times higher than that in the controls. This study demonstrates that glutathione depletion elicits the nephrotoxic manifestations of arsenic poisoning.     

Changes in distribution of mercury and selenium in soluble fractions of rabbit tissues after simultaneous administration

The existing states of mercury and selenium in the blood and in soluble fractions of perfused rabbit liver and kidney were studied by gel filtration on Sephadex G-200 1 hr or 24 hr after intravenous injection of mercuric chloride and/or sodium selenite. Both mercury and selenium in the plasma and stroma-free hemolysate were found to exist in the high-molecular weight fraction following simultaneous injection of mercuric chloride and sodium selenite. Patterns in gel filtration of the plasma and the stroma-free hemolysate did not show any significant change between 1 hr and 24 hr after the administration. A similar tendency as described above was obtained with the liver-soluble fraction at 24 hr after injection of mercuric chloride and sodium selenite. A possible role of the high-molecular weight complex, which is quickly formed by the interaction of mercury and selenium in blood stream, in decreasing the acute renal toxicity of inorganic mercury is discussed.