ABSTRACT
The kidney is the ltration mechanism for the blood. As is well known, the kidney has to perform three major functions to maintain normal health. It helps in removing wastes, prevents leakage of essential elements and chemical compounds from the body, and provides homeostasis. However, prolonged exposure to chemical substances causes adverse health effects and damage of the renal system in animals and humans-a health disorder termed nephrotoxicity. This disorder has been found among workers and members of the public exposed to toxic chemicals, and because of improper medication. The chemical substances that cause damage to the renal system are called nephrotoxins. Reports have indicated that the nephrotoxic effect of chemical substances, including drugs, has become more profound in workers and patients who have a history of renal impairment. Also, some drugs are known to affect renal function in more than one way. Chemical substances such as toxic metals, organic compounds, and pesticides have caused global concern as nephrotoxicants. Prolonged occupational exposure to metals like cadmium, lead, and mercury has also caused renal disorders.1-5
It is well established that toxic nephropathies are not restricted to a single type of renal injury. Some chemicals target one discrete anatomical region of the kidney and may affect only one cell type. Chemical insult to the kidney may result in a spectrum of nephropathies that are indistinguishable from those that do not have a chemical etiology. Nephrotoxicity and neural disorders in animals and humans have occurred due to prolonged exposure to chemical substances. These may be broadly categorized as:
therapeutic agents: analgesics, nonsteroidal anti-inammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antibiotics, aminoglycosides, cephalosporins, amphotericin B, tetracyclines, penicillamine, lithium, and anticancer drugs;
chemical substances: ethylene glycol, organic chemicals and solvents, volatile hydrocarbons, chloroform, halogenated alkenes, bipyridyl herbicides, mycotoxins, and silicon; and
metals: arsenic, bismuth, cadmium, chromium, germanium, gold, lead, mercury, and uranium.
