Nephrotoxicity and Heavy Metal Chelates

Patients treated unsuccessfully with large doses of EDTA for severe lead poisoning have, prior to death developed anuria and uraemia and autopsies have revealed that the patients had suffered kidney damage. This nephrotoxicity may have been due to in situ mobilization of specific metals that exchange for calcium, thus impairing the function of the metal-controlled or metal activated enzyme systems in the kidney. 

Thus EDTA, and also its homologue DTPA, is potentially nephrotoxic however, this can be controlled and minimized by careful attention to the dose administered and the treatment regime. 

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