Effect of sodium saccharin and L-tryptophan on rat urine during bladder carcinogenesis

We examined several parameters of urine excretion during a two-year initiation-promotion experiment in male Fischer rats using four weeks of N-[4-(5-nitro-2-furyl)-2-thiazoly]formamide at 0.2% of the diet as the initiating agent and either 5% sodium saccharin or 2% L-tryptophan in the diet as promoting agents. Rats fed sodium saccharin increased their intake of water; this was accompanied by diarrhea and an increased urinary volume. Osmolality was decreased slightly. The total amount of sodium excreted was increased, although the concentration in the urine was similar to that of the controls or slightly increased. No abnormalities were observed in urinary potassium, calcium, urea, or other parameters measured except for the pH, which was slightly increased during the first three months of the experiment. There was no increase in the size or concentration of crystals in the urine of rats fed sodium saccharin, and no calculi were observed. Hypoglycemia and hypoglycosuria were present in sodium saccharin-fed rats and to a lesser extent in L-tryptophan-fed rats. No other abnormalities were seen in the urine of rats fed L-tryptophan. These data suggest that none of the urinary factors measured in our experiment, including crystal and calculus formation, correlated with the induction of urinary bladder lesions by sodium saccharin.