The use of the rat in the experimental investigation of the porphyrias.

The patterns of urinary porphyria excretion and hepatic porphyrin accumulation in hexachlorobenzene-treated rats is similar to that observed in overt porphyria cutanea tarda and may be attributed to a decrease in activity of hepatic uroporphyrinogen (UROGEN) decarboxylase. The 3.5 diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine (DDC)-treated rat has been evaluated as a model to test the porphyrinogenicity of drugs.