Transport of inorganic phosphate in renal cortical brush-border membrane vesicles of cadmium-intoxicated rats.

The effect of cadmium intoxication on the renal proximal tubular phosphate transport system was studied in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. Subcutaneous injections of CdCl2 at a dose of 2 mg Cd/kg body wt per day for 2 weeks induced marked polyuria, glycosuria, proteinuria, and phosphaturia, which are characteristics of chronic cadmium intoxication. In the renal cortical brush-border membrane vesicles prepared from cadmium-intoxicated rats, the cadmium content was drastically increased and the Na(+)-dependent phosphate uptake was markedly attenuated. Similar results were obtained in normal membrane vesicles directly exposed to free cadmium. These results indicate that cadmium intoxication impairs the Na(+)-phosphate cotransport system in the proximal tubular brush-border membrane, which may lead to phosphaturia in intact animals.