Site-specific renal cytotoxicity and cell proliferation in male rats exposed to petroleum hydrocarbons.

The pathologic significance of intracytoplasmic protein droplet accumulation within renal tubular epithelial cells induced experimentally in male rats after exposure to various environmental chemicals, such as unleaded gasoline (UG), is poorly understood. 2,2,4-Trimethylpentane (TMP), a component of UG, also is a potent inducer of protein droplets in male rats. This study documents a strong correlation between protein droplet accumulation, single cell necrosis, and regeneration of the male F344 rat nephron during a 3-week exposure regimen to a wide dose range of inhaled UG or gavaged TMP covering several orders of magnitude (2 to 2000 ppm of UG and 0.2 to 50 mg/kg of TMP, respectively). Autoradiographic analyses of various segments of the nephron were conducted after continuous administration of [methyl-3H]thymidine via osmotic pumps implanted during the last week of UG or TMP exposure. The P2 segment of the proximal tubule of control rats from both experiments had a higher rate of cell turnover (approximately 11%) than the adjacent P1 (approximately 2%) or P3 segments (approximately 3%). The P2 segment of rats exposed to UG or TMP responded with additional dose-related (up to 6-fold) increases in cell turnover. The extent and localization of cell proliferation closely paralleled the extent and severity of accumulation of crystalloid protein droplets and single cell necrosis. Biochemical and immunohistochemical studies have shown that protein droplets in male, but not female rats, consist primarily of alpha-2u-globulin, a low molecular weight protein synthesized by the liver under androgenic control. Increased cell turnover in the P2 segment of male rats may be related to altered catabolism of alpha-2u-globulin. This accelerated cell proliferation may be an essential factor in the development of renal cancer in male rats exposed to UG or other volatile hydrocarbons.