Uranyl nitrate induced corpuscular derangement: an early indication of induced acute renal failure

Erythrocyte structure was studied in rat after uranyl nitrate (UN:5 mg/kg) intoxication. The study of pathogenic progression of UN induced renal failure (ARF) was confined to the early initiation phase (2 hr), late initiation phase (8 hr) and the maintenance phase (24 hr). Erythrocyte structure has been found to be greatly influenced. The UN induced hemolytic syndrome/hypoxia was accompanied by a marked anisocytosis and poikilocytosis during different phases of ARF, which is characteristic of UN poisoning. Subsequent alterations in erythrocyte structure followed by UN administration or during the pathogenic progression of ARF has clinical and diagnostic importance as the alterations were much distinct prior to the clinical manifestation of ARF even at light microscopic level.