The effect of nephrotoxic furans on urinary N-acetylglucosaminidase levels in mice.

The effects of several potentially nephrotoxic furans on urinary levels of N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAG) were examined to determine whether this test might serve as a useful quantitative index of nephrotoxicity for this series of compounds. Whereas others have found that nephrotoxins such as sodium salicylate and biphenyl cause increases in urinary NAG, we observed that these furans, which were shown to be nephrotoxic by histological procedures, caused significant decreases in urinary levels of the enzyme. This effect was dose-related in the one case examined.