Coronary arteriopathy in monkeys following administration of CI-1020, an endothelin A receptor antagonist.

A selective non-peptide endothelin A (ETA) receptor antagonist, CI-1020, was administered to cynomolgus monkeys intravenously (i.v.) for 2 or 4 wk and orally for 4 wk. Groups consisting of 3 animals of each sex received CI-1020 at 1, 5, and 10 mg/kg/hr (i.v.) or orally at 250, 500, and 750 mg/kg body weight for 4 wk. Control animals received the vehicle only. In a separate experiment, 1 male was infused with 10 mg/kg/hr for 2 wk, and Monastral blue dye was administered i.v. to facilitate localization of lesions to the vascular walls. One female was administered saline and the dye and served as a control. One female at 1 mg/kg/hr was found dead at week 2, and 1 female at 5 mg/kg/hr was euthanatized during week 4 as a result of severe thigh swelling at the catheter site. Macroscopically, extramural coronary arteries appeared thickened and nodular in the 4-wk i.v. study in the female found dead at 1 mg/kg/hr, in 1 male and 1 female at 5 mg/kg/hr, and in 2 females at 10 mg/kg/hr. Histologically, Monastral blue pigment trapped in the walls of coronary arteries with arteriopathy was observed in the male treated with CI-1020 at 10 mg/kg/hr for 2 wk. Extramural coronary arteriopathy occurred at all doses in the 4-wk i.v. study, with higher incidence occurring in females than in males (7 of 9 treated females compared with 3 of 9 treated males). In the oral study, 1 female at 500 mg/kg/day and 1 male and 2 females at 750 mg/kg/day had coronary arteriopathy. Histological changes after 2 wk of treatment were characterized by intimal thickening, fragmentation of the internal elastic lamina, necrosis and edema of the media, and mixed inflammatory-cell infiltrates in the intima, media, and adventitia. After 4 wk of i.v. administration, arteriopathy was characterized by segmental disruption of the elastic lamina and intimal and medial fibrosis with complete replacement of smooth muscle with fibrous tissue. The adventitia was thickened as a result of fibrosis and mixed or mononuclear inflammatory-cell infiltrates. CI-1020 concentrations were higher in males (1.57 to 29 micrograms/ml) than in females (0.974 to 24.4 micrograms/ml) in the i.v. study. Transient systemic exposure with high maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) (120-352 micrograms/ml) in the oral study was insufficient to provoke arterial changes of the same magnitude as those noted with continuous i.v. administration. The regeneration of the media by fibrous tissue and the disruption of the elastic lamina may weaken the arterial wall and increase the susceptibility of the artery to the development of aneurysm.

Relative biological effectiveness of tritium for induction of myeloid leukemia in CBA/H mice.

To help resolve uncertainties as to the most appropriate weighting factor for tritium beta rays, a large experiment was carried out to measure the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of tritiated water compared to X rays for the induction of myeloid leukemia in male mice of the CBA/H strain. The study was designed to estimate the lifetime incidence of myeloid leukemia in seven groups of about 750 mice each; radiation exposures were approximately 0, 1, 2 and 3 Gy both for tritiated water and for X rays. The lifetime incidence of leukemia in these mice increased from 0.13% in the control group to 6-8% in groups exposed to higher radiation doses. The results were fitted to various equations relating leukemia incidence to radiation dose, using both the raw data and data corrected for cumulative mouse-days at risk. The calculated RBE values for tritium beta rays compared to X rays ranged from 1.0 +/- 0.5 to 1.3 +/- 0.3. A best estimate of the RBE for this experiment was about 1.2 +/- 0.3. A wR value of 1 would thus appear to be more appropriate than a wR of 2 for tritium beta rays.

A method for hyperthermic treatment of mouse skin.

The Sencar mouse skin system is a recognized model for tumour initiation, promotion and progression. The current interest in the effect of hyperthermia on this multi-stage tumorigenesis model prompted the need for a technique to accurately heat a section of dorsal skin of a large number of mice for 30 min per heat treatment. In the technique described, experimental groups of 25 female Sencar mice were treated at 7-8 weeks of age under general methoxyflurane anaesthesia. Treatment consisted of the application of initiating and/or promoting agents with or without hyperthermia. For hyperthermic skin treatments, each group of mice was placed onto a platform in a water bath so that the dorsal skin of the mice was in contact with 44 degrees C temperature controlled water.

Beta-radiation-induced resistance to MNNG initiation of papilloma but not carcinoma formation in mouse skin.

We have shown previously that the risk of tumor initiation, promotion, and progression in animals initiated with alkylating agents can be drastically altered by hyperthermia treatments. We show here that ionizing radiation can also alter the risk of tumor initiation by alkylating agents. Using a two-step skin tumorigenesis protocol in female SENCAR mice (initiation by MNNG, promotion with TPA), we exposed the dorsal skin of the mice to various doses of 90Sr/90Y beta radiation near the time of initiation. The radiation produced a dose-dependent reduction in the number of papillomas which appeared after TPA promotion, with about a 20% reduction in animals receiving 0.5 Gy surface dose just before initiation, about 50% reduction after 2.5 Gy, and greater than 80% at doses above 5 Gy. A dose of 2.5 Gy in animals initiated with DMBA produced no significant reduction. One skin hyperthermia treatment (44 degrees C, 30 min) along with radiation in MNNG-initiated animals partially blocked the protective effect of radiation and increased the papilloma frequency. Radiation (2.5 Gy) given either 6 days before or after MNNG initiation was less effective but still reduced papilloma frequency about 20%. In sharp contrast to the marked reduction in papilloma formation, these same animals showed no change in carcinoma frequency with any of the doses or schedules of beta radiation. MNNG initiation alone produced three types of initiated cells. One type, produced in low yield, was promotion-independent with a high probability of progression to a carcinoma and appeared unaffected by the radiation. A second type, produced in intermediate yield, was promotion-dependent and also had a high progression probability, but was likewise unaffected by the radiation. The third and most abundant type was promotion-dependent with a very low progression probability. Radiation exposure resulted in a decrease in the risk of an MNNG initiation event which led only to the third type of cell. The data therefore indicate that the risk of some, but not all, tumor-initiating events caused by alkylating agents can be reduced by an exposure to ionizing radiation.

Dose-rate effects of mammary tumor development in female Sprague-Dawley rats exposed to X and gamma radiation.

Mammary tumour development was followed in two experiments involving a total of 2229 female Sprague-Dawley rats exposed to various doses of X or gamma rays at different dose rates. The data for another 462 rats exposed to tritiated water in one of these experiments were also analyzed. The incidence of adenocarcinomas and fibroadenomas at a given time after exposure increased linearly in proportion to total radiation dose for most groups. However, no significant increase in adenocarcinomas was observed with chronic gamma exposures up to 1.1 Gy, and the increase in fibroadenomas observed with chronic gamma exposures at a dose rate of 0.0076 Gy h-1 up to an accumulated dose of 3.3 Gy was small compared to that observed after acute exposures. The incidence of all mammary tumors increased almost linearly with the log of dose rate in the range 0.0076 to 26.3 Gy h-1 for 3 Gy total dose of gamma rays. The effects of X rays appeared to be less influenced by dose rate than were the effects of gamma rays.

The influence of a hyperthermia treatment on chemically induced tumor initiation and progression in mouse skin.

A single hyperthermia treatment given near the time of initiation with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) or 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) increased the number of initiated cells in the skin of SENCAR mice subjected to a two-stage tumorigenesis protocol. In animals subsequently promoted with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), a 44 degrees C, 30-min hyperthermia treatment given just before, just after or 24 h before MNNG initiation increased the average papilloma frequency by 40-50%. In the groups of animals that received a hyperthermia treatment just before MNNG initiation, tumor latency was reduced by 40-60%. Treatment with MNNG in the absence of hyperthermia produced two classes of initiated cells. One type, formed in low yield, was independent of TPA promotion and formed tumors with a high probability of progression to malignancy. The other type was promotion dependent, and formed in relatively high yield but produced tumors with a probability of progression to carcinomas approximately 10-fold less than promotion-independent initiated cells. A single hyperthermia treatment given just before or just after MNNG initiation increased the yield of both promotion-dependent and promotion-independent initiated cells, and consequently increased the yield of carcinomas. In animals given a single hyperthermia treatment 24 h prior to initiation (to induce thermotolerant skin cells), MNNG exposure resulted in an increased yield of promotion-dependent initiated cells but no change in the yield of promotion-independent initiated cells. Hyperthermia treatment of DMBA-initiated skin increased the yield of initiated cells (promotion-dependent) only when given just after exposure to the initiator. The extra initiated cells produced by hyperthermia treatment of MNNG or DMBA exposed skin had the same probability of progression to carcinomas as initiated cells produced by the same initiation in the absence of hyperthermia. As noted previously for DMBA-initiated mice, hyperthermia given at the time of each application of TPA promoter also suppressed the formation of papillomas initiated by MNNG. Only the promotion and progression of promotion-dependent initiated cells, and not of promotion-independent cells, was suppressed. The results show that a single hyperthermia treatment near the time of exposure to an alkylating agent increased the number of both promotion-dependent and promotion-independent initiated cells and, as a consequence, increased the risk of carcinogenesis associated with that exposure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Tumorigenesis and carcinogenesis in mouse skin treated with hyperthermia during stage I or stage II of tumor promotion.

The action of hyperthermia treatments on tumor promotion separated into a two-stage protocol has been investigated. 7,12-Dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) initiated dorsal skin of female SENCAR mice was promoted with either H2O2 or 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) (4 applications, 2 times/week) as the first stage of promotion, followed by promotion with mezerein (28 applications, 2 times/week) as the second stage. Hyperthermia (44 degrees C, 30 min) treatment of the skin at the time of stage II promotion only (just before each mezerein application) suppressed 100% of papillomas when H2O2 was used as a first-stage promoter and 96% when TPA was used as the first stage, as compared to unheated control animals. The same hyperthermia treatment given only at stage I of promotion had similar results. Hyperthermia treatments just before stage I TPA promotion (4 treatments only) followed by mezerein as the second stage reduced papilloma formation by 92%. When H2O2 was used as the first stage promoter and again mezerein as the second, papilloma frequency was reduced by 74%, as compared to unheated controls. This antipromotion activity of hyperthermia could not be linked to an inhibition of skin protease activity. Although papilloma frequency was markedly suppressed by hyperthermia during stage I promotion only, carcinoma formation was not. A similar number of carcinomas appeared in the groups of mice receiving hyperthermia with either H2O2 or TPA as first-stage promoters, as in comparable groups receiving no hyperthermia. In contrast, when hyperthermia treatments were given during stage II promotion with mezerein (using either H2O2 or TPA as stage I promoters), carcinomas (as well as papillomas) were markedly reduced. The results suggest that DMBA initiation creates two types of promotion-dependent cells, a majority with relatively low progression probability and a minority with relatively high progression probability. The former require both stage I and II promotion while the latter require only stage II promotion to form tumors. Hyperthermia treatments given during stage II promotion protected against promotion and progression of both types of initiated cells, but similar treatments only during stage I did not protect against promotion and progression of the latter. Although promotion was required for expression, relative progression probability appeared linked to initiation and not promotion events. These findings suggest that hyperthermia treatment of persons exposed to tumor-promoting agents may reduce the risk of induced tumorigenesis.

Hyperthermia and phorbol ester tumor promotion in mouse skin.

In a two-stage skin tumorigenesis protocol [7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) initiation followed by twice weekly 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) promotion], SENCAR mice developed an average of approximately 8.5 papillomas per animal. Hyperthermia treatments of the initiated skin (44 degrees C, 30 min) immediately before or after each TPA application (for 90 days) reduced papilloma frequency 80-90%. Animals whose initiated skin was made thermo-tolerant at the time of TPA application (by hyperthermia treatment 24 h prior to each application of promoter) showed slightly less protection (approximately 70% reduction in frequency). Multiple 44 degrees C hyperthermia treatments alone (27 X, twice a week) had no promoting activity in DMBA-initiated skin. The usual responses of skin to TPA promotion, including an increase in dark cells, epidermal thickening, reddening and erosion were all suppressed in animals treated with hyperthermia near the time of TPA application. The effect of hyperthermia on tumorigenesis was at the promotion stage and the survival of initiated cells was not affected, since the normal number of papillomas was produced when TPA promotion was delayed until after the multiple (27 X, twice a week) hyperthermia treatments were completed. Hyperthermia treatments (44 degrees C, 30 min, twice weekly for 90 days) given near the time of TPA application also suppressed the incidence of carcinomas appearing within 300 days. About 40% of the DMBA-initiated, TPA-promoted animals developed a carcinoma, compared with only approximately 10% of a similar group which received hyperthermia treatments near each TPA application. Papillomas appearing in spite of hyperthermia treatments during promotion were not more likely to progress into carcinomas than those appearing in unheated animals. Such hyperthermia treatments given to animals bearing pre-existing papillomas did not markedly alter the subsequent development of carcinomas compared with unheated controls. The results demonstrated that 44 degrees C hyperthermia applied near the time of TPA promotion acted as a powerful antipromoter and suppressed the appearance of both papillomas and carcinomas, apparently by acting at an early stage of promotion.

Occurrence of mammary tumors in rats after exposure to tritium beta rays and 200-kVp X rays.

The RBE for tritium was estimated in reference to 200-kVp X rays, using acceleration of breast tumor appearance in the female Sprague-Dawley rat as the end-point. Chronic X-ray doses of 0.3-2.0 Gy were delivered over 10 days. Intraperitoneal injections of tritiated water ranging in concentrations from 45 to 370 MBq/100 g body wt were administered, followed by four additional injections at 2-day intervals and half of the initial concentrations. Seventy-five percent of the total tritium dose was delivered to the mammary gland within the first 10 days and 95% within the first 20 days after the start of the tritium exposure. RBE estimations were based on various criteria including the tumor incidence per Gy at 450 days postirradiation and the time required to induce tumors in 50% of the animals at risk. The results suggest that tritium beta rays are about 1.1-1.3 times more effective than chronic 200-kVp X rays for acceleration of the appearance of rat mammary tumors. However, the uncertainties involved in these calculations are such that the effects of tritium beta rays could not be reliably distinguished from those of chronic 200-kVp X rays. Measured differences in RBE values were slightly larger for the comparison between acute and chronic X rays than for the comparison between chronic tritium beta rays and chronic X rays.

Effect of hyperthermia on epithelial microneoplastic cell populations induced by irradiation of rat skin.

Two groups of male rats of the Charles River CD stock received a dose of 1,600 rad beta-radiation (700 rad/min) on the skin of the dorsum. Two months later, the site of irradiation of one of the groups was treated with hyperthermia at 44 degrees C for 2.5 minutes. A third control group received only the hyperthermic treatment. Over 90% of the animals in the 2 irradiated groups developed skin tumors (benign and malignant epithelial) at the irradiated site. There was no significant difference between these 2 groups in incidence of animals with tumors, incidence of tumors, distribution of tumor types, or rate of tumor appearance. The incidence of animals with tumors in the control group was less than 4% at any time.