Abstract
Litters of suckling rat pups (COB strain) were treated daily from day 4 to 30 with intramuscular diuretics - Group 1: control, Group 2: frusemide 5 mg/kg/d, Group 3: chlorothiazide 30 mg/kg/d, Group 4: frusemide 5 mg/kg/d + chlorothiazide 30 mg/kg/d. The rats (n = 13-15) in each group were sacrificed at day 34. They were weighed to the nearest 0.01 g and the Bone Mineral content of each rat was measured by Dual beam photon absorptiometry (Hologic QDR 10GG). Each femur and kidney was then dissected out, weighed, dried to constant dryness and then ashed at 420°C. Calcium content was measured by Atomic Absorption spectrophotometry and phosphate by a colorimetric method. The body weights of the Group 3 and 4 rats were significantly leas (p <0.001) than the Group 1 but Group 2 were not significantly different. The Bone Mineral content of the 4 groups, measured by photon absorptiometry were all similar when normalised for body weight but the calcium content Df the femurs of the rats in Groups 2 and 3 and the phosphate content of the rats in Groups 2, 3 and 4 were all significantly less than the controls (Group 1). The calcium content of the kidneys from Group 4 rats was significantly increased but otherwise the mineral contents of the experimental Group kidneys were similar to the controls when normalised for body weight.
Chronic Diuretic therapy causes growth retardation and skeletal calcium and phosphorus depletion in suckling rats. A proportion of the mineral eluted from bone is deposited in the kidney reaching significant degree in the rats treated with both frusemide and chlorothiazide. This experiment has implications for preterm infants on chronic diuretic therapy.
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Boyd, C., McIntosh, N., Pye, D. et al. 116 Bone and Kidney Mineral Content with Diuretic Therapy in the Neonatal Rat. Pediatr Res 28, 296 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199009000-00140
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199009000-00140