ANIMAL MODEL IN PRECLINICAL RESEARCH FOR DIURETICS

Diuretics are essential pharmacological agents used in the management of hypertension, heart failure, renal disorders, and fluid overload conditions. Because these drugs directly influence renal physiology and electrolyte balance, their development demands rigorous preclinical investigation before clinical application. Animal models play a fundamental role in evaluating diuretic efficacy, safety, dose optimization, and mechanism of action under controlled experimental settings. Commonly employed models include saline-induced diuresis (Lipschitz test), metabolic cage studies, and disease-specific models such as hypertensive or renal impairment models. These systems enable precise measurement of urine volume, electrolyte excretion, osmolarity, renal biomarkers, and histopathological alterations. This review provides an integrated overview of renal physiology relevant to diuretics, classification of diuretic agents, screening models, evaluation parameters, toxicity studies, statistical considerations, ethical guidelines, limitations, and recent alternative approaches in preclinical diuretic research.