Chronic Progressive Nephropathy, Rat. In: Jones TC, Hard GC, Mohr U, editors. Urinary System. Berlin: Springer Berlin Heidelberg; 1998. pp. 228-33. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-80335-2_17]

Regulatory Forum Opinion Piece*

Renal tubule lesions often prove troublesome for toxicologic pathologists because of the diverse nature and interrelated cell types within the kidney and the presence of spontaneous lesions with overlapping morphologies similar to those induced by renal toxicants. Although there are a number of guidance documents available citing straightforward diagnostic criteria of tubule lesions for the pathologist to refer to, most are presented without further advice on the when to or to the why and the why not of diagnosing one lesion over another. Documents presenting diagnostic perspectives and recommendations derived from an author’s experience are limited since guidance documents are generally based on descriptive observations. In this Regulatory Forum opinion piece, the authors attempt to dispel confusing renal tubule lesion terminology in laboratory animal species by suggesting histological advice on the recognition and interpretation of these complex entities.

Proliferative and nonproliferative lesions of the rat and mouse urinary system

The INHAND Project (International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic Criteria for Lesions in Rats and Mice) is a joint initiative of the Societies of Toxicologic Pathology from Europe (ESTP), Great Britain (BSTP), Japan (JSTP), and North America (STP) to develop an internationally accepted nomenclature for proliferative and nonproliferative lesions in laboratory animals. The purpose of this publication is to provide a standardized nomenclature for classifying lesions observed in the urinary tract of rats and mice. The standardized nomenclature of urinary tract lesions presented in this document is also available electronically on the Internet (http://www.goreni.org/). Sources of material included histopathology databases from government, academia, and industrial laboratories throughout the world. Content includes spontaneous developmental and aging lesions as well as those induced by exposure to test materials. A widely accepted and utilized international harmonization of nomenclature for urinary tract lesions in laboratory animals will decrease confusion among regulatory and scientific research organizations in different countries and provide a common language to increase and enrich international exchanges of information among toxicologists and pathologists.

The effect of chronic progressive nephropathy on the incidence of renal tubule cell neoplasms in control male F344 rats

Chronic progressive nephropathy (CPN) is the most frequently diagnosed lesion in the rat kidney. It has many components including degeneration and regeneration of renal tubule (RT) epithelium, glomerular lesions and interstitial inflammation and fibrosis. The incidence and severity of CPN is strain, age, and sex dependent and may be altered by a number of factors including exposure to xenobiotics. In National Toxicology Program (NTP) 2-year bioassays, xenobiotic-associated increased severity (exacerbation) of CPN often occurs in association with a marginal increased incidence of renal tubule cell neoplasms (RTCN). The relationship between CPN and RTCN development has not been definitively determined. The present study evaluated the association between severity of CPN and the occurrence of RTCN in control male F344 rats. A slight but statistically significant increase in CPN severity was present in those animals with RTCN compared to aged-matched controls without RTCN. Although these data suggest there is a positive correlation between CPN and RTCN, cause and effect were not determined. This marginal association suggests that the number of RTCNs that may develop secondary to chemically exacerbated nephropathy would be few.

The association between severe nephropathy and pheochromocytoma in the male F344 rat -- the National Toxicology Program experience

The possible correlation between the severity of chronic progressive glomerulonephropathy (CPN) and the incidence of adrenal pheochromocytoma was examined in selected studies of male Fischer 344 (F344) rats at the National Toxicology Program (NTP). The NTP historical control database was first examined in order to determine whether there was association between the severity of CPN and the occurrence of adrenal pheochromocytoma in unexposed animals. Following this analysis, the 125 most recent NTP studies conducted in F344 rats were examined in order to determine how frequently chemicals that cause increased severity of CPN showed an increased incidence of pheochromocytoma. Finally, we examined the association between the incidence of pheochromocytoma and the severity of CPN in those NTP studies with chemically related increased rates of pheochromocytoma. In control male F344 rats surviving beyond 21 mo, the incidence of adrenal pheochromocytoma was consistently higher in animals with more severe CPN. This association was significant (p < 0.05) both for 900 NTP inhalation study controls and 900 NTP feeding study controls. An association was not consistently observed when dosed groups were considered. Although 22% (28/125) of NTP studies reported a chemically related increased severity of CPN, only 3 of these reported a corresponding significant increase in the incidence of pheochromocytoma. Of 6 NTP studies that reported increased incidence of pheochromocytoma, animals with pheochromocytoma from 5 of those studies had some degree of increased severity of CPN. However, the estimated strength of the correlation with the severity of CPN varied from study to study and was often quite different from that indicated by an analysis of the more extensive NTP control databases. The possible correlation between the severity of CPN and the incidence of pheochromocytoma may influence interpretation of carcinogenic effects observed at this site.