REDUCTION OF THE SEVERITY OF NEPHROPATHY IN AGING FISCHER-344 RATS TREATED WITH ANALOGS OF ARYLSULFONYLUREA

Fischer 344 rats of both sexes were fed diets containing or lacking tolazamide, tolbutamide, chlorpropamide, acetohexamide, or phenformin for 78 or 103 weeks. A complete necropsy was performed on each rat and several tissues were examined histologically. There was a reduction of the severity of nephropathy in aging rats of both sexes treated with the analogs of arylsulfonylurea, but not in those treated with phenformin. Although the analogs of arylsulfonylurea and phenformin, a biguanide, decreased the mean body weight of rats in most of the test groups compared to controls, the length of survival was not affected. Thus, the reduction in the severity of this kidney lesion in rats treated with the analogs of arylsulfonylurea, but not with phenformin, may not be due to differences in growth or survival. © 1979.