Animal experiments

Animal experiments

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When researchers claim a factor for being the cause of a disease one of the strongest proofs is the induction of the disease in an experimental animal with the suspected disease factor. When it comes to glomerulonephritis and hydrocarbons such experiments have been performed succesfully again and again in rats, mice, cats and guinea pigs. Here is a list of the hydrocarbons that have been used:

Hydrocarbon	Type of glomerulonephritis	Authors
Diacetylbenzidine	Proliferative with crescents Not classifiable Not classifiable Rapidly progressive Not classifiable (exsudative?) Focal, segmental sclerosis	Harmann et al. 1952 Dunn et al 1956 Bremner et al 1966 Harmann 1971 Carroll et al 1974 Zimmerman et al 1983
Tetramethylbenzidine	Not classsifiable	Dunn et al 1956
Trichloroethylene	Not classifiable Not classifiable Not classifiable Not classifiable	Nun 1938 Lande et al. 1939 Mosinger & Fiorentini 1958 Mensing et al. 2002
Trimethylpentane	Not classifiable	Norton & Mattie 1987
4'-Fluoromethylbenzanthrazene	Not classifiable; periarteritis nodosa	Hartmann et al. 1959
Xylen	Not classifiable	Fabre et al 1960
Petrol (gasoline)	Focal, mesangial	Klavis & Drommer 1970
Carbon tetrachloride	Minimal change®glomerulosclerosis IgA nephritis®focal sclerosis Focal, segmental sclerosis Glomerulosclerosis Mesangial; focal, segmental sclerosis	Sakaguchi et al 1964 Gormly et al 1981 Zimmerman et al 1983 Ogawa et al 1992 Ogata et al. 1995
Dinitrochlorobenzene + acetone	Mesangial (exsudative?) Anti-TBM; focal, segmental proliferative Anti-TBM; minimal change®focal, segm. prolif.	Floyd et al. 1975 Nakajima 1981 Nakajima et al 1982
Maleic vinylether anhydride	Minimal change	Bertolatus et al 1988
Bromoform, dibromochlorometan	Not classifiable	Condie et al 1983
White spirit	Not classifiable	Easley et al 1982

Some of the early studies were rather primitive and did not allow a more specific classification. In the studies where modern microscopic techniques were used most of the human subgroups of glomerulonephritis were identified as seen from the table. A review of the experimental studies has been published recently