Experimental interstitial renal fibrosis in rats: nephritis induced by N-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)succinimide

The nephrotoxic properties of the chemical N-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-succinimide were investigated in rats with a view to establishing the usefulness of this chemically-induced nephritis as a model of chronic interstitial renal fibrosis. The compound was synthesized and given daily by gastric intubation as a suspension in arachis oil B.P. to male WAG-strain rats, for periods of up to 108 days. Polydipsia and polyuria resulted rapidly in all treated animals and persisted for the duration of the experiment. There was a progressive increase in the extent of proteinuria in all treated animals and, by the end of the experiment, there was an increase in the plasma levels of urea and creatinine. Short term treatment (up to 3 days) resulted in focal areas of necrosis of some proximal convoluted tubules. Treatment for 28 days resulted in patchy but severe tubular interstitial nephritis with which was associated a moderate interstitial fibrosis. By 108 days, the nephritis was more widespread and the interstitial fibrosis was severe. The activity of proline hydroxylase, a part of the intracellular sequence of collagen synthesis, showed progressive increase in the renal cortex throughout the experiment and there was an associated increase in the cortical hydroxyproline content, a measure of the amount of collagen present. Associated with this biochemical evidence of an active, chronic fibrosis, was an increased water content of the cortical tissue. The results indicate that this chemically-induced, tubular interstitial nephritis is indeed a good and reliable model of interstitial renal fibrosis.