The pH-dependent influence of aminoglycoside antibiotics on iodohippurate accumulation in rabbit renal cortical slices.

The effects of aminoglycoside antibiotics on 125I-hippurate (OIH) accumulation in rabbit renal cortical slices were assessed in vitro using incubation media with pH-values ranging from 6.4 to 8.4 and containing streptomycin, kanamycin, amikacin, gentamicin and tobramycin in concentrations ranging from 100 to 2,000 microgram base/ml. The aminoglycoside-induced inhibition of OIH accumulation was clearly pH-dependent and most pronounced at alkaline pH-values. At pH 6.4 and 7.4 the aminoglycosides had either no or only moderate effects on OIH accumulation, while all drugs produced a distinct depression in accumulation at pH 7.9 and 8.4. The microbiologically inert N-acetyl gentamicin had no influence on accumulation. The influence of aminoglycosides on OIH accumulation is probably related to the pKa-values of these drugs and implies the presence of free amino groups.