OCCURRENCE OF URINARY CALCULI IN INBRED STRAIN (C3H) OF MICE TREATED WITH ESTROGEN1

Abstract

Urinary calculi were found in 4.1% of [male], and 5.4% of [female] control strain C3H mice. Urinary calculi were found in 43.7% of [male], and 3.4% of [female] strain C3H mice treated with varying doses of a-estradiol benzoate in a soln. of sesame oil. The highest incidences (43.3 to 60.0%) of calculus formation occurred in [male][male] which had been given from 8 to 20 weekly injs. of 100 rat u. (0.0165 mg.) of estrogen, after which the animals lived, untreated, for an avg. of from 8.9-4.8 mos. In both treated and control animals the calculi were composed of Ca and Mg phosphates mixed with organic material. Pathologic changes, similar to those reported by other investigators, were observed in the genito-urinary tract. Both metabolic and inflammatory factors may be responsible for the high incidence of calculi in the estrogen treated animals. The available evidence indicated that the metabolic factor was associated with a derangement of Ca metabolism. The inflammatory factor seemed to be related to hyperplasia and desquamation of the genito-urinary tract epithelium and to infection and inflammatory reactions in the urinary tract.