Studies of the nephrotoxicity of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid

Abstract The renal cortices of rats were examined for changes in lysosomal enzymes 2 and 24 hr after the administration of 1·0 and 2·5 g of calcium disodium ethylene-diaminetetraacetic acid per kg. The enzymes measured were aryl sulfatase, acid phosphatase, and acid ribonuclease. Though vacuolization occurred at both time intervals with both doses, enzymatic changes were observed only at the 24-hr interval. The changes were manifested as a decrease in the concentration of the three enzymes in the nuclear-weight fractions. It is suggested that part of the chelate enters the cell via pinocytosis, resulting in the formation of a vacuole analogous to the phagosome described by previous investigators. A subsequent combination of the vacuoles with lysosomes is proposed.