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Usefulness of zebrafish larvae to evaluate drug-induced functional and morphological renal tubular alterations

  • Organ Toxicity and Mechanisms
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Abstract

Prediction and management of drug-induced renal injury (DIRI) rely on the knowledge of the mechanisms of drug insult and on the availability of appropriate animal models to explore it. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) offers unique advantages for assessing DIRI because the larval pronephric kidney has a high homology with its human counterpart and it is fully mature at 3.5 days post-fertilization. Herein, we aimed to evaluate the usefulness of zebrafish larvae as a model of renal tubular toxicity through a comprehensive analysis of the renal alterations induced by the lethal concentrations for 10% of the larvae for gentamicin, paracetamol and tenofovir. We evaluated drug metabolic profile by mass spectrometry, renal function with the inulin clearance assay, the 3D morphology of the proximal convoluted tubule by two-photon microscopy and the ultrastructure of proximal convoluted tubule mitochondria by transmission electron microscopy. Paracetamol was metabolized by conjugation and oxidation with further detoxification with glutathione. Renal clearance was reduced with gentamicin and paracetamol. Proximal tubules were enlarged with paracetamol and tenofovir. All drugs induced mitochondrial alterations including dysmorphic shapes (“donuts”, “pancakes” and “rods”), mitochondrial swelling, cristae disruption and/or loss of matrix granules. These results are in agreement with the tubular effects of gentamicin, paracetamol and tenofovir in man and demonstrate that zebrafish larvae might be a good model to assess functional and structural damage associated with DIRI.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Maysa Franco and Ana Cristina Borges from the Fish Facility of the Gulbenkian Institute of Science.

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Author notes

  1. Rita Gorgulho and Raquel Jacinto contributed equally to the study.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chronic Diseases Research Center, NOVA Medical School, NOVA University of Lisbon, Rua Câmara Pestana 6, 1150-082, Lisbon, Portugal

    Rita Gorgulho, Raquel Jacinto, Susana S. Lopes, Sofia A. Pereira, Petra Pintado, Emilia C. Monteiro & Judit Morello

  2. Unit of Imaging and Cytometry, Gulbenkian Institute of Science, Rua Quinta Grande 6, 2780-156, Lisbon, Portugal

    Erin M. Tranfield, Gabriel G. Martins, Emilio J. Gualda & Ana C. Correia

  3. Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal

    Gabriel G. Martins

  4. Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Rico J. E. Derks, Evelyne Steenvoorden & Oleg A. Mayboroda

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  1. Rita Gorgulho
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Judit Morello.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Gulbenkian Professorship 121986/2012; the Foundation for Science and Technology through the grant ANR/BEX-BID/0153/2012, contract IF/00951/2012 (to SSL), fellowship PD/BD/52420/2013 (to RJ) and travel ship SFRH/BSAB/114291/2016 (to JM); iNOVA4Health Research Unit, LISBOA-01-0145-FEDER-007344.

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All procedures performed in studies involving animals were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution or practice at which the studies were conducted.

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The authors declare that they have no conlficts of interest.

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Gorgulho, R., Jacinto, R., Lopes, S.S. et al. Usefulness of zebrafish larvae to evaluate drug-induced functional and morphological renal tubular alterations. Arch Toxicol 92, 411–423 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-017-2063-1

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