Urinary DNA as an indicator of nephrotoxicity caused by endotoxin and gentamicin in mice

Extracellular DNA is a non-specific marker of cell death. Urinary DNA, as an indicator of nephrotoxicity, was investigated in endotoxin/gentamicin-injected mice. In mice injected both with endotoxin (15 mg/kg) and gentamicin (80 mg/kg), urinary DNA concentration was markedly increased for several days; in contrast, there was at most a slight and transient excretion of DNA in mice receiving gentamicin or endotoxin alone. Plasma DNA concentrations increased for 24–48 h in endotoxin-injected mice, then decreased rapidly. Mice injected with gentamicin and endotoxin showed widespread and severe kidney lesions with tubular cell necrosis and intraluminal casts while mice receiving gentamicin or endotoxin alone showed at most few and mild lesions. In mice receiving lower doses of endotoxin (5–10 mg/kg) and 80 mg/kg gentamicin, urinary DNA peaked at 72–96 h, at a time when plasma DNA had returned to normal concentrations. Maximal urinary DNA concentrations depended upon endotoxin dose. In conclusion, urinary DNA is a marker of definite cell death occurring in the urinary tract and could represent a new indicator of nephrotoxicity in clinical and experimental situations.