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Abstract

A relatively rapid, inexpensive, new bioassay for oral diuretics has been developed. The test animal was the day-old Single Comb White Leghorn cockerel. Birds were fed a diet containing polychloro aromatic compounds (PAC), previously called chick edema factors, contained in a toxic fatty material (TFM), to produce edema in a 3-week assay period. Test birds were fed various levels of diuretics in addition to PAC either singly or in combination (ppm): urea (500, 1000, 2500, 5000, and 10,000), ammonium chloride (50, 100, 150, 300, 600, and 1000), spironolactone (Aldactone) (50, 100, and 200), chlorothiazide (Diuril) (25, 50, 100, and 200), ethacrynic acid (50, 200, 500, and 1000), and hydrochlorothiazide (Vetidrex) (25, 50, 100, 500, and 1000).All diuretics tested were effective in edema prevention at one or more dietary levels. The least effective oral diuretic was urea (2500 ppm), and chlorothiazide (50 and 200 ppm) and hydrochlorothiazide (50 ppm) were most effective. Ammonium chloride (300 ppm), spironolactone (100 ppm) and ethacrynic acid (500 and 1000 ppm) were of intermediate effectiveness.The studies revealed that chemically induced edema is now possible, and this in turn, can be an effective assay procedure to test for various oral diuretics and, perhaps, for other drugs suspected of possessing diuretic activity. The usefulness of this bioassay has been investigated with oral diuretics and remains to be studied with injectables.