Cataracts in rats given a bladder carcinogen, N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)-nitrosamine

Cataracts were incidentally found at week 30 in six out of 65 female Wistar rats given a urinary bladder carcinogen, N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl) nitrosamine (BBN) in a 0.05% solution in drinking water for 8 weeks and then treated with mitomycin C, a retinoid or a combination of both. No cataracts were found in 12 control rats given no carcinogen. Although the difference in the incidence was not significant statistically, the present finding suggests the possibility that administration of BBN induces or facilitates the development of cataracts.