2-Bromoethanamine nephrotoxicity in the nude mouse: an atypical targetting for the renal cortex

Male MF1-nu/nu/Ola/Hsd nude mice, maintained in a gnotobiotic environment, were dosed i.p. with either 50, 100 or 200 mg/kg 2-bromoethanamine (BEA) hydrobromide to induce a model papillary necrosis. Renal histological changes were examined in semithin glycolmethacrylate resin sections at 24, 48 and 72 h after BEA treatment. The sequence of medullary changes included pyknosis of interstitial cell nuclei, increased staining of the interstitial mucopolysaccharide matrix, platelets adhering to capillary endothelium, necrosis of collecting duct epithelial cells and denudation of the covering epithelium of the papilla. This was similar to that previously described in the Wistar rat, but the time course was extended. There was also a concomitant and extensive cortical necrosis of the P2 and P3 segments of the proximal tubule, which was evident prior to the onset of renal papillary necrosis at the higher doses of BEA. Nude mice show an atypical response to BEA compared to several mouse and rat strains, the hamster and pig, that suggests unique characteristics in this athymic murine mutant.