Through his publications in the field of kidney pathology of the rat and the spontaneous pathology of the mini-pig, Dr. Rinke has made valuable contributions to the state of knowledge in toxicological pathology.

The study published by Dr. Rinke on the renal effects of the anxiolytic drug Ipsapirone is excellent in all aspects (1). He not only describes in detail the morphology of the vacuolization of collective tubules observed in the rat kidney and the papillary necrosis, but, through numerous mechanistic investigations, also clarified to a large extent the pathogenesis of these effects. Based on these results and initial phase I clinical investigations, he was able to exclude the occurrence of undesirable effects to the human kidney in the clinical use of Ipsapirone. Dr. Rinke thereby showed in an exemplary fashion, that toxicological pathology is not only capable of recognizing possible drug risks, but also of indicating their relevance for application in man.

Dr. Rinke also participated in the establishment and validation of specific monoclonal antibodies as markers for certain nephrone sectors (2). When such antibodies are used to test urine samples by the ELISA method, it is possible to localize tubular damage in vivo.

In another study, Dr. Rinke presented an overview of spontaneous changes in the mini-pig, and thereby filled a gap in the literature on spontaneous changes in this laboratory animal species (3).

References:

1. Rinke M, Bomhard EM, Hildebrand H, Leser KH, Loof I, Ruehl-Fehlert C (1998) Serotonin (5-HT1A-receptor) agonist-induced collecting duct vacuolation and renal papillary necrosis in the rat. Toxicol Pathol 26: 152-159
   
   
2. Falkenberg FW, Hildebrand H, Lutte L, Schwengberg S, Henke B, Greshake D, Schmidt B, Friederich A, Rinke M, Schlüter G, Bomhard E (1996) Urinary antigens as markers of papillary toxicity. I. Identification and characterization of rat kidney papillary antigens with monoclonal antibodies. Arch Toxicol 71: 80-92
   
   
3. Rinke M (1997) How clean is a mini-pig? – Impressions and suggestions of a pathologist working in the field of toxicology. Pharmacol Toxicol 80 Suppl 2: 16-22

Giessen, September 24, 1999