A Method for Induction of Chronic Renal Failure in Rats

Chronic Renal Disease (CRD) is a major health burden, which has recieved increased attention in recent times and has thus become one major focus of intensive research. All is agreed that the complex interplay of major pathophysiological factors that are characteristic of CRD and end stage renal failure (ESRF) is of multifactorial aetiology. However, commonly used animal models for CRD are bedeviled by methodologically induced complexities, which make the procedures not only laborious but also make interpretation of results less explicit. More often than not, some of these procedures present in addition, pathological parameters that may not universally reflect the settings of clinical forms of CRD. We have therefore characterized a simple and reproducible method for inducing chronic renal failure (CRF) in rats; in which the pathological parameters better reflect the usual findings in clinical situations. This approach has methodological and experimental advantages with respect to commonly used procedures for inducing CRF in rats, which may involve extensive renal surgery in which the renin-angiotensin system is often markedly stimulated. This later complication is at variance with clinical CRD in which low to normal renin activity is more often the rule rather than the exception. The simplicity and reproducibility of this model, coupled with a better correlation with the known features of CRF makes it a useful rat model not only for research purposes but also for testing of therapeutic maneuvers commonly used in the clinical setting.