Organ toxicity of metallocene dichlorides. The effect of (C5H5)2TiCl2 and (C5H5)2VCl2 on renal structure

The effect of a single application of toxicologically equivalent doses of the cytostatically active metal complexes titanocene dichloride (TDC), vanadocene dichloride (VDC) or cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (DDP) upon the morphologic appearance and the functional behavior of the kidneys was analyzed in mice by use of light and electron microscopy, by determination of blood retention values and by urine analysis. Whereas DDP induced severe structural lesions of the epithelial cells of the proximal and distal tubules as well as profound functional disturbances of the kidneys, the dichlorides of titanium and vanadium caused only slight morphologic alterations such as increased vacuolation in the proximal tubular cells even after administration of LD50 doses; severe pathologic injuries within the kidneys were always lacking. In correspondence to these morphologic findings, no impairment of renal function was detectable after treatment with TDC either in effective or in toxic doses.