Cytotoxicity of commercial peritoneal dialysis solutions towards peritoneal cells of chronically uremic mice

A gradual loss of cell viability was observed during in vitro incubation of peritoneal cells from chronically uremic mice in commercial peritoneal dialysis solutions. The magnitude of this cytotoxicity toward peritoneal cells harvested from uremic mice and controls was comparable. Resident peritoneal cells were always found to be more susceptible than thioglycolate-elicited peritoneal populations of either macrophages or polymorphonuclear cells. In order to elucidate the factors contributing to this phenomenon, resident peritoneal cells recovered from normal mice were incubated in vitro for 1 h in various solutions of known pH and osmolarity consisting of buffered and unbuffered commercial peritoneal dialysis solutions. The results clearly show that the major part of the cytotoxicity is attributable to the low pH of the solutions. Once pH was corrected, the hyperosmolarity of these solutions had no effect on cell viability; however, a small but significant cytotoxicity remained. Factors other than those addressed in this study probably account for the observed residual cytotoxicity.