Abstract
Dietary treatment of rats with propylthiouracil prevented the development of the elevated blood pressure usually accompanying kidney encapsulation with latex envelopes. Within 4 weeks after dietary administration, propylthiouracil also reduced to control levels the elevated blood pressure of rats whose kidneys were encapsulated 9 weeks previously. With regard to dosage, 0.1% PTU appeared to be more effective than 0.06%. This drug (0.1%) also reduced the blood pressure of normal rats. When PTU was administered to growing rats, body weight remained at the level at which administration began. Older rats generally lost weight on the drug, although the extent of weight loss was not consistent among three separate lots of PTU used. The reduction in blood pressure of the ‘encapsulated’ rats could not be attributed solely to the weight loss produced by PTU administration.