Cyclosporine nephrotoxicity

Cyclosporine (CSA) is a new immunosuppressant which has selectivity for the immune system and is without systemic side effects at therapeutic doses. In contrast to the cytotoxic class of immunosuppressants, no myelotoxic, teratogenic, mutagenic, or carcinogenic effects were observed. Nevertheless, overdosage may lead to renal dysfunction, which occurs mainly in rats, and often complicates its clinical use. The experimental data also showed that significant nephrotoxicity was only caused under specific conditions at therapeutic doses. These conditions included ischemia, heminephrectomy, concomitant administration of nephrotoxic drugs, and/or genetic predisposition. Thus, concomitant renal damage is a prerequisite in order to obtain overt nephrotoxicity at therapeutic CSA doses. Since these conditions cannot be avoided in patients, nephrotoxicity often occurs at therapeutic doses in man. The rat might be a suitable experimental model of CSA nephropathy displaying similar morphologic and functional changes as observed in man. This model also allows further investigations on the pathogenic mechanisms which are elusive at the present time.