Animal model of human disease. Acute and chronic lead nephropathy

Journal Article · Mon Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1976 · Am. J. Pathol.; (United States)

OSTI ID:7100315

Port, C D

The rat, commonly used for studies of toxicity and cellular effects of lead, has disadvantages as a model for effects on humans. The rat has spontaneous enzootic pneumonia and progressive nephropathy as well as lead-induced kidney tumors. Studies with the Mongolian gerbil indicated large accumulations of lead in the kidneys, e.g., three times as much as in rats after 2 weeks of diets containing 1% lead. During 12 weeks of 0.25% dietary lead, intranuclear inclusions in epithelial cells of the proximal convoluted tubules were found. Increasing numbers of tubules containing little or no epithelium were noted. There were also cytoplasmic changes representing lead inclusions similar to those in the rat. Diets with 0.25% lead acetate, fed to gerbils for 30 months, produced chronic progressive nephropathy with tubular degeneration, interstitial fibrosis, and intranuclear inclusions. Blood cell volume and corpuscular hemoglobin values approximately 30% lower than control values indicated microcytic hypochromic anemia. Red cells exhibited anisocytosis, polychromatophilia, and basophilia: their shape varied, and many of the cells were normoblasts or reticulocytes. The chronic nephropathy and microcytic hypochromic anemia resulting from long-term administration of lead to the gerbil are comparable to those observed in man. Thus, the gerbil may be useful as a model to study chronic lead poisoning in man.

• Research Organization: IIT Research Inst., Chicago
• OSTI ID: 7100315
• Journal Information: Am. J. Pathol.; (United States), Journal Name: Am. J. Pathol.; (United States) Vol. 85:2; ISSN AJPAA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
ANEMIAS
ANIMALS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BIOLOGICAL MODELS
BIOLOGY
BLOOD
BLOOD CELLS
BODY
BODY FLUIDS
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CELL CONSTITUENTS
CELL NUCLEI
CHRONIC INTAKE
CYTOLOGY
DIET
DISEASES
ELEMENTS
ERYTHROCYTES
FIBROSIS
GERBILS
GLOBIN
HEMIC DISEASES
HEMOGLOBIN
HETEROCYCLIC ACIDS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
INGESTION
INTAKE
KIDNEYS
LEAD
MAMMALS
MAN
METALS
MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGES
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES
PIGMENTS
POISONING
PORPHYRINS
PRIMATES
PROTEINS
RATS
RETICULOCYTES
RODENTS
SYMPTOMS
TUBULES
ULTRASTRUCTURAL CHANGES
VERTEBRATES
VOLUME