Early effects of ethylene glycol on the ultrastructure of the kidney cortex in rats

ABSTRACT

A sublethal dose of ethylene glycol was administered orally to three groups of rats; rats of a control group were given distilled water instead. Renal cortical samples were obtained from rats of experimental and control groups at various time [18 hours, 24 hours and 4 days] after treatment, and examined using light and transmission electron microscopy. In rats of the experimental groups, light microscopic lesion first appeared at 18 hours, and were similar to those reported in the literature. Ultrastructural lesions similar to the light microscopic lesions, were most common in the proximal convoluted tubules [PCT], distal convoluted tubules [DCT] and collecting tubules [CT]. At 18 hours, initial cellular changes included vacuolation of cells and affected by mild to moderate degenerative lesions were scattered through the cortex, with loss of cellular detail and hydropic degeneration. Crystal [calcium oxalates] were observed within tubular lumina. cellular lesions see in later hours samples [24 hours and 4 days] included formation of apical huds and cellular rupture, in distal convoluted tubules and collecting tubules. The range of structural change in DCT and CT cells were more restricted than, in PCT cells. Daring later hours, a few cells with types of changes first observed in early hours continued to he observed, implying ongoing response of cells to the toxin