COMPARATIVE TOXIC EFFECTS OF IOBITRIDOL AND IOHEXOL ON THE KIDNEY

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES. The authors compare the toxic effects of iob itridol and iohexol, which are nonionic contrast media with equivalent osmolalities and viscosities on the kidney, METHODS. In a rat acute r enal failure (ARF) model, iobitridol or iohexol (both at the dose of 2 .87 g I/kg) were injected to rats after pretreatment with indomethacin and N omega-nitro-larginin methyl ester, The effects on histopatholog y, creatinine clearance, and urinary N-acethyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) activity were assessed. In a rat renal slice system, the slices were exposed to iobitridol or iohexol (both at the concentration range of 17.5-70 mg iodine/mL) for 60 min. The accumulation of para-aminohi ppuric acid (PAH), an organic anion, and the intracellular potassium c ontent as the indicators of renal tubular injury were measured to asse ss the direct effects of iobitridol and iohexol on renal tubules, RESU LTS. In the ARF model, no significant difference was detected between the effects of iobitridol and those of iohexol on the creatinine clear ance and urinary NAG activity 24 hours after the injection. However, i obitridol produced a lower degree and incidence of renal tubular injur y of renal proximal tubules (P < 0.001) and distal tubules (P < 0.05) compared with iohexol, In the rat renal slice system, the iobitridol t reatment had significantly less effect on the PAH accumulation compare d with iohexol (P < 0,001), There were no changes in the intracellular potassium content. CONCLUSIONS. These findings suggest that iobitrido l has significantly less toxic effects on the kidney compared with ioh exol under the condition of our experiment.