Five-sixth Nephrectomy in Female Common Marmosets(Callithrix jacchus) as a Chronic Renal Failure Model: —A Longitudinal Course of Serum Biochemical, Hematological and Histopathological Changes—

To assess the relevance and availability of subtotal nephrectomized common marmoset monkeys as a chronic renal failure (CRF) model, we observed for 26 weeks the pathophysiological condition of female marmosets subjected to five-sixth surgical nephrectomy (5/6Nx) by a two-step surgical method. The 5/6Nx marmosets showed a significant increase in serum levels of urea nitrogen, creatinine and cystatin-C immediately after 5/6Nx surgery. These renal disorder parameters subsequently tended to decrease with the passage of time but remained higher than the control levels by the end of the study. Hyperplastic parathyroid glands, a high turnover state of osteodystrophy in the femoral bone with higher serum ALP activity and anemia with hypocellularity of bone marrow were evident. The 5/6Nx marmosets showed a stable CRF condition for a long time and some characteristic disorders similar to those observed in CRF patients. These diagnostic aspects might be a species-specific anatomical and physiological signature, reflecting the nutritional condition. The CRF model using 5/6Nx marmosets might become a useful method of evaluating the unique mechanism of CRF development.