Distal tubular dysfunction in rats chronically exposed to a 'white spirit' solvent

Inhalation exposure of male Sprague-Dawley rats to an industrial white-spirit solvent composed of a C10-C12 mixture of branched-chain unsubstituted satured aliphatic hydrocarbons at 6500 mg/m3 for over 9 months resulted in decreased urinary concentrating ability, decreased net acid excretion following a mild ammonium chloride load and increased urinary lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, whereas urinary beta-N-acetyl-D-glycosaminidase (NAG) activity remained normal. These observations suggest the existence of distal tubular alteration in the rat kidney.