Nephrotoxicity of pyrroloquinoline quinone in rats

When pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) was intraperitoneally injected into rats daily for 4 days at a dose of 11.5 mg/kg body weight/injection, functional and morphologic changes of the kidneys were clearly observed. The most prominent finding was necrotic and degenerative changes of the proximal tubular epithelium as well as hematuria and an elevation of serum creatinine concentration.