Cyclosporine and short ischaemia: a new model of experimental acute renal failure in rats.

To determine whether a mild episode of ischaemia may be a factor in the production of cyclosporine (Cys) toxicity, right nephrectomy was performed in three groups of Charles River rats: I. Ischaemia (left renal pedicle clamping) for 20 minutes, without treatment; II. Ischaemia of 20 minutes, followed by IP Cys 60 mg/kg BW/day; III. Sham (no ischaemia) followed by Cys as in Group II. The rats were sacrificed after four days. Cys plus ischaemia produced a lower creatinine clearance (136 +/- 15 microliter/min/100g BW, p less than 0.001) and a higher FENa per cent (0.94 +/- 0.14, p less than 0.05), FEK (1.07 +/- 0.02, p less than 0.01) compared with ischaemia alone creatinine clearance 261 +/- 39, FENa per cent 0.61 +/- 0.08, FEK 0.54 +/- 0.08, FEH2O -0.04 +/- 0.005. Histology showed more vacuolisation of tubular epithelial cells in the Cys plus ischaemia group than in the ischaemia alone group.