Kidney Damage Induced by Melamine

Objective To explore the pathogenesis of renal damage induced by melamine and the characteristics of kidney damage in rats.Methods Twenty Wister rats were randomly divided into one control group fed with normal pet food and one exposure group fed with animal food mixed with melamine at 25 mg(/kg·d).After 4 weeks,biochemical indexes of blood were determined,histopathological examination was performed,and kidney/body weight was measured among rats.The kidney slices were observed using light microscopy of animal anatomy.Renal tissues from affected rats were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry.Kidney X-ray diffraction were performed to determine the existence of crystals Results After 4 weeks of melamine exposure,the rats showed polyuria,less activity,weight loss,increasing levels of serum creatinine,urea nitrogen,triglyceride.The appearance of kidney significantly changed.The diffuse distribution of the point and the flake crystal shadow were observed in kidney slices.Histopathological examination showed the existence of a large number of crystals in renal tubular,renal tubular epithelial damage.The analysis of high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry revealed that crystals were composed of melamine and cyanuric acid.Kidney X-ray diffraction revealed that crystals could be found in kidneys of rats.Conclusion Melamine can enter the body through the digestive tract and generate partially cyanuric acid through hydrolysis.Then cyanuric acid and melamine formed cocrystals in renal tubules leading to progressive tubular blockage,renal tubular epithelial damage,tubular reabsorption dysfunction,eventually renal failure.