Abstract

Ethylene glycol (EG) consumption is commonly employed as an experimental regimen to induce hyperoxaluria in animal models of calcium oxalate nephrolithiasis. This approach has, however, been criticized because EG overdose induces metabolic acidosis in humans. We tested the hypothesis that EG consumption (0.75% in drinking water for 4 wk) induces metabolic acidosis by comparing arterial blood gases, serum electrolytes, and urinary chemistries in five groups of Sprague-Dawley rats: normal controls (CON), those made hyperoxaluric (HYP) with EG administration, unilaterally nephrectomized controls (UNI), unilaterally nephrectomized rats fed EG (HRF), and a metabolic acidosis (MA) reference group imbibing sweetened drinking water (5% sucrose) containing 0.28 M NH4Cl. Arterial pH, plasma bicarbonate concentrations, anion gap, urinary pH, and the excretion of titratable acid, ammonium, phosphate, citrate, and calcium in HYP rats were not significantly different from CON rats, indicating that metabolic acidosis did not develop in HYP rats with two kidneys. Unilateral nephrectomy alone (UNI group) did not significantly affect arterial pH, plasma bicarbonate, anion gap, or urinary pH compared with CON rats; however, HRF rats exhibited some signs of a nascent acidosis in having an elevated anion gap, higher phosphate excretion, lower urinary pH, and an increase in titratable acid. Frank metabolic acidosis was observed in the MA rats: decreased arterial pH and plasma HCO3(-) concentration with lower urinary pH and citrate excretion with elevated excretion of ammonium, phosphate and, hence, titratable acid. We conclude that metabolic acidosis does not develop in conventional EG treatments but may ensue with renal insufficiency resulting from an oxalate load.

Links

Publisher Full Text

Authors

Green ML, Hatch M, Freel RW

Institution

Dept. of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine, Univ. of Florida, College of Medicine, PO Box 100275, Gainesville, FL 32610-00275, USA. greenmj@pathology.ufl.edu

Source

American journal of physiology. Renal physiology 289:3 2005 Sep pg F536-43

MeSH

Acidosis
Animals
Carbon Dioxide
Disease Models, Animal
Electrolytes
Ethylene Glycol
Hyperoxaluria
Kidney Calculi
Kidney Failure, Chronic
Kidney Function Tests
Male
Oxalates
Oxygen
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Language

eng

PubMed ID

15855660