Digoxin-specific Fab fragments impair renal function in the rabbit

A 2 mg kg-1 intravenous bolus dose of digoxin-specific Fab fragments produced a 28% reduction in creatinine clearance in rabbits after 24 h. Urine output was reduced, while plasma and urinary creatinine concentrations were unaffected and increased, respectively. By 5 days the creatinine clearance had returned to normal. The fractional excretion of Na+ was nearly halved, indicating that the tubular reabsorption of Na+ increased to compensate for the reduced glomerular filtration rate, suggesting that tubular (as opposed to glomerular) function was not impaired.