Species Differences in Renal Development and Associated Developmental Nephrotoxicity

The developing kidney is sensitive to both morphological and functional disturbances during the gestational and postnatal phases of growth and differentiation. Exposure to drugs or chemicals during these critical windows of renal development can result in aplasia, dysplasia, polycystic kidney disease, hydronephrosis, or other features characteristic of nephrotoxicity, including tubule dilation, necrosis, or mineralization. Functional effects can occur without associated morphological abnormalities. Differences in the timing of nephrogenesis and morphologic renal development among species help to explain specific phenotypes of various gestational and postnatal teratogens and nephrotoxins. Functional maturation follows anatomical maturation, but important differences in maximally achieved glomerular filtration rate, concentrating ability and acid-base equilibrium between species makes comparison of these timings critical for accurate and consistent translation of laboratory animal toxicity data to the human clinical experience. Species and age dependent differences in the maturation of kidney transporters, renal xenobiotic metabolism and renal blood flow can have a profound effect on the toxicity profiles of agents and marked differences in the tolerability based on age. Advances in the understanding of the genetics of inherited renal diseases and the underlying cellular and molecular pathogenesis of renal developmental anomalies has helped provide mechanistic understanding of many teratogenic and perinatal nephrotoxic agents. Investigative studies have provided important translational and mechanistic information for assessing human pediatric nephrotoxic potential. Birth Defects Research 109:1243-1256, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.