[A study of daunomycin rats--is it possible to use daunomycin rats as an experimental model of chronic renal failure?].

Daunomycin rats are frequently used as an experimental model of nephrotic syndrome. We accidentally left daunomycin rats for a long time, and after death, these rats showed extensive scarring of the kidney. Since then, we have been studying whether daunomycin rats can be used as an experimental model of chronic renal failure. Female Wistar rats were injected i.v. with a single dose of daunomycin 12 mg/kg or 6 mg/kg body wt. We then observed the rats for six months. The rats in the 12 mg/kg injection group died within three to six months. All rats died from chronic renal failure. The BUN and creatinine levels significantly increased from seven weeks after daunomycin 12 mg/kg injection. At the end stage, renal anemia and hyperphosphatemia were noticed. There was an inverse relationship between the life span of daunomycin rats and urine protein level at four weeks. Rats with a large amount of urine protein at four weeks died of uremia at an early age. We concluded that daunomycin rats can be used as an experimental model of chronic renal failure.