Use of cultured renal epithelial cells for the study of cisplatin toxicity.

The nephrotoxicity of cisplatin was evaluated in an in vitro system with an established cell line of normal rat kidney, NRK-52E. Leakage of enzymes from the cells into the culture medium increased when they were exposed to 1 microM of cisplatin for 72 hr. The level of lipid peroxides increased in the cells after 48 hr of exposure to cisplatin; the increase was more rapid than the enzyme leakage. This culture system can be used to evaluate drug-induced nephrotoxicity and its mechanism.