Over the last century, the world has become increasingly dependent on oil as its main source of chemicals and energy. Driven largely by the strong economic growth of India and China, demand for oil is expected to increase significantly in the coming years. This growth in demand, combined with diminishing reserves, will require the development of new, sustainable sources for fuels and bulk chemicals. Biomass is the most attractive alternative feedstock, as it is the only widely available carbon source apart from oil and coal. It was recently found that direct parental administration of SMF to mice leads to abundant acute necrosis and proteinaceous casts in the proximal tubules as the dominating toxicological effect. Additional research provided evidence for the involvement of organic anion transporters in the renal accumulation of SMF. These transport characteristics could be responsible for the selective damage of renal proximal tubules by this reactive metabolite.
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