Renal failure and nephrotoxic drug-induced disturbances in rat kidney tissue.

The injection to rats of glycerol, cisplatin, uranyl acetate, sodium dichromate, and mercuric chloride is followed on the third day by acute renal failure. A new approach for quantitative estimation of disturbance of excretory renal function is presented. The decrease in renal function due to uranyl acetate was 77%; sodium dichromate, 71%; mercuric chloride, 52%; cisplatin, 25%; and glycerol, 10%. The kidneys still maintained serum ion concentration close to normal values. Injection of nephrotoxic drugs increased kidney wet weight by 24-57%. This was caused by swelling of renal tissue and increases in dry weight of the kidneys. The sodium content increased in the renal cortex and decreased in the papilla. The potassium content of the renal cortex is increased. The effect of some nephrotoxic drugs is suggested to depend on an increased number of cells in the renal cortex (probably due to hemostasis and inflammation) and a decrease of renal medulla function. The above drugs induce disturbance of kidney tissue but have no effect on the ion and water content in liver and m. gastrocnemius.