Comparative in vitro renal damage due to stereoisomeric cinchona alkaloids.

Cinchona alkaloids significantly diminished the ability of renal cortical slices to accumulate organic cations and organic anions in vitro. Stereoisomeric differences exist in the inhibition of the accumulation of p-amino hippurate and tetraethyl ammonium. Oxygen consumption in renal cortical slices was inhibited by all four cinchona alkaloids. Cinchonine/cinchonidine were stronger inhibitors of the in vitro oxygen consumption than quinine/quinidine. Common antimalarial drug chloroquine inhibited the organic anion and cation accumulation much higher concentration than primaquine. Renal cortical slice oxygen consumption was also inhibited at much higher concentration by chloroquine than primaquine. The results indicate adverse renal effects in vitro but the significance of these findings in vivo is to be further examined.