Lipuria in Tigers

• Published in: Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London
• Main Authors: Hewer, T.F., Matthews, L. Harrison, Malkin, T.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1949
• Subjects: Recta; Vasa; Blue whale
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.1949.tb00411.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1096-3642.1949.tb00411.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1096-3642.1949.tb00411.x; https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1096-3642.1949.tb00411.x

Summary. Examination of urine from the bladder of a tiger and a tigress at postmortem, and of urine collected from the cages of other tigers, showed that considerable lipuria is a constant physiological feature in these animals. The total fat excreted was about 20 grams a day and it contained 6‐5 per cent. of unsaponifiable matter, of which 60 per cent, was cholesterol and the remainder, apart from small quantities of ketosteroids, of undetermined nature. A histological examination of kidney tissue from the tiger and from two tigresses proved that the fat was derived from the epithelium of the proximal convoluted tubules and did not come from direct glomerular filtration. Sections from the kidney of a lion showed abundant fat in the epithelium of the proximal convoluted tubules, and less in the distal tubules, but as none was seen actually in the lumen, it was not possible to assert that fat was being excreted. Sections from the kidney of a cheetah, an ocelot and a blue whale gave no certain evidence of fat excretion, but the blood plasma in some of the vasa recta was sudanophil, and may have represented lipaemia. The significance of the fat excretion in tigers is briefly discussed. Our thanks are due to the Zoological Society of London for their kindness in sending us samples of tiger urine and tissue from the kidneys of a tigress, a lion, a cheetah and an ocelot, and to Dr. R.A.M. Case for tissue from a blue whale. We are indebted to Dr. C.J.O.R. Morris for his kindness in estimating the ketosteroids for us.