A Brief Study of Nephrotoxicity and Nephroprotective Agents

Abstract

A kidney is particularly prone to the action of nephrotoxins because it receives 25% of the cardiac output. The presence of the metabolic processes in the renal tubular cells, nephrotoxins can release toxic components and induce damage. Nephrotoxicity can be diagnosed through a simple blood test. Evaluation of nephrotoxicity through blood tests includes the measurements of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), the concentration of serum creatinine, glomerular filtration rate and creatinine clearance. The majority of cases of renal disease remain unnoticed unless they progress to advance stages when conventional therapeutic interventions are usually not sufficient to cure them completely. In this review, the study attempted to identify biomarkers that are more sensitive than the established markers and that are more indicative of pre-renal damage. Research is also focused on identifying biomarkers that can indicate the nature of the mechanisms involved. Nephrotoxicity assays such as measurement of the concentration of serum creatinine or blood urea nitrogen (BUN) do not have the sensitivity and selectivity required to determine nephrotoxicity in an early stage. Recently identified biomarkers described in this review may provide useful information to diagnose nephrotoxicity earlier and more selectively.