The effect of aminoglycosides on glomerular endothelium: a comparative study.

In addition to being tubular nephrotoxins, the aminoglycosides are known to injure the glomerular endothelium by decreasing the diameter and density of endothelial fenestrae. To determine whether or not these changes correlate with the rank order of toxicity we compared in rats the effects of netilmicin, tobramycin, and amikacin on renal function, tubular and glomerular ultrastructure, at 10 and 25 times the recommended human dose. According to measurements of glomerular filtration rate their rank order of toxicity, in increasing severity was: netilmicin, tobramycin, and amikacin. The same order of effect was observed on glomerular ultrastructure. Thus glomerular structural changes correspond to glomerular functional changes in this model.