Postirradiation creatinuria in the rat.

In experiments on the effect of whole-body irradiation in the rat, we have consistently observed a profound creatinuria after large doses of radiation. There is a concomitant elevation of the plasma creatine level. Abnormally high levels of creatine excreted in the urine of rats may be a clue to a possible biochemical lesion produced by ionizing radiation. In human beings, creatinuria accompanies many diseases of the skeletal musculature (e.g., muscular dystrophy) and some aberrations of carbohydrate metabolism (1).