Compensatory renal hypertrophy and the handling of an acute nephrotoxicant in a model of aging.

Aging often results in progressive losses of functioning nephrons, which can lead to a significant reduction in overall renal function. Because of age-related pathological changes, the remaining functional nephrons within aged kidneys may be unable to fully counteract physiological and/or toxicological challenges. We hypothesized that when the total functional renal mass of aged rats is reduced by 50%, the nephrons within the remnant kidney do not fully undergo the functional and physiological changes that are necessary to maintain normal fluid and solute homeostasis. We also tested the hypothesis that the disposition and handling of a nephrotoxicant are altered significantly in aged kidneys following an acute, 50% reduction in functional renal mass. To test these hypotheses, we examined molecular indices of renal cellular hypertrophy and the disposition of inorganic mercury (Hg(2+)), a model nephrotoxicant, in young control, young uninephrectomized (NPX), aged control and aged NPX Wistar rats. We found that the process of aging reduces the ability of the remnant kidney to undergo compensatory renal growth. In addition, we found that an additional reduction in renal mass in aged animals alters the disposition of Hg(2+) and potentially alters the risk of renal intoxication by this nephrotoxicant. To our knowledge, this study represents the first report of the handling of a nephrotoxicant in an aged animal following a 50% reduction in functional renal mass.