Unexpected sudden deaths of F344 rats in long-term toxicity studies: relationship between sudden deaths and stomach tube material or feed type.

Sudden deaths of F344 rats (F344/Du Crj (Fischer)) have occurred frequently in the late stage of carcinogenicity studies using stomach tubes. To reduce the sudden deaths, the incidence of sudden deaths was compared in the control groups from 104-week carcinogenicity studies using two different stomach tubes (metal and Teflon) and feeds (pellet and powder). The results indicate that replacing metal tubes with Teflon tubes from the first administration or after week 41 of administration was not effective in reducing the sudden deaths. On the other hand, sudden deaths did not occur at all after changing the feed from pellets to powder after week 44 or 79 of administration. In addition, although decreased body weight and retention of feed in the oral, pharyngeal and laryngeal cavities were observed in the animals that died suddenly, there were no abnormalities in histopathological examination. Therefore, it is suggested that changing the feed from pellets to powder should be effective in reducing the sudden deaths of F344 rats in long-term oral gavage studies or carcinogenicity studies.

Dose-dependent promotion of rat forestomach carcinogenesis by combined treatment with sodium nitrite and ascorbic acid after initiation with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine: possible contribution of nitric oxide-associated oxidative DNA damage.

Dose-dependent promotion effects of combined treatment with sodium nitrite (NaNO2) and ascorbic acid (AsA) on gastric carcinogenesis were examined in rats pretreated with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG). Groups of 15 6-week-old F344 male rats were given 0.01% MNNG in their drinking water for 10 weeks to initiate carcinogenesis in the glandular stomach and a single intragastric administration of 100 mg/kg/bodyweight of MNNG by stomach tube at week 9 to initiate carcinogenesis in the forestomach. From week 11, they received either drinking water containing 0.05, 0.1 or 0.2% NaNO2 and a diet supplemented with 0.1 or 0.2% AsA in combination, each individual chemical alone or a basal diet until the end of week 42. In the forestomach, the incidence of hyperplasia was increased dose dependently by the treatment with NaNO2 alone. Incidences of neoplastic lesions were dramatically increased by the combined treatment with NaNO2 and AsA in a dose-dependent manner, but AsA itself had no effect. In the glandular stomach, only toxicity and regenerative changes were increased by the high-dose combination. In a second short-term experiment conducted for sequential observation, necrosis and strong inflammation were found in the forestomach epithelium shortly after commencing combined treatment with 1.0% AsA and 0.2% NaNO2, followed by hyperplasia, whereas there were no obvious effects in the glandular stomach. In addition, after a 4 h treatment with 1.0% AsA and 0.2% NaNO2, a slight increase in the 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine levels in the forestomach epithelium was observed by high-performance liquid chromatography and an electrochemical detection system, albeit without statistical significance. In vitro, electron spin resonance demonstrated nitric oxide formation during incubation with NaNO2 and AsA under acidic conditions. Thus, NaNO2 was demonstrated to exert promoter action in the forestomach, with AsA acting as a strong copromoter through cytotoxicity and regenerative cell proliferation, possibly mediated by oxidative DNA damage, but the combined treatment with NaNO2 and AsA had little influence on glandular stomach carcinogenesis.

MX, a by-product of water chlorination, lacks in vivo genotoxicity in gpt delta mice but inhibits gap junctional intercellular communication in rat WB cells.

3-Chloro-4-(dichloromethyl)-5-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone (MX), a by-product of water chlorination, is a potent bacterial mutagen and rat carcinogen. In the present study, the in vivo mutagenicity, cell proliferative activity, and carcinogenicity of MX were investigated in gpt delta mice. Groups of 5 male and female 7-week-old gpt delta C57BL/6J transgenic mice were given MX at doses of 0, 10, 30, or 100 ppm in their drinking water for 12 weeks, and then killed to assess in vivo mutagenicity using 6-thioguanine and Spi- selection, and cell proliferative activity using immunohistochemistry for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Further groups of 10 male and female gpt delta mice were given 0 or 100 ppm MX for 78 weeks, and a full necropsy with histopathological examination of all organs was conducted to detect neoplastic lesions. The 12-week MX treatment did not result in mutagenicity in the livers or lungs or cell proliferative activity in several organs of the mice, and the 78-week treatment did not cause carcinogenicity. Additional investigations were conducted to evaluate the potential of MX to inhibit gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) in rat liver epithelial cells (WB cells) by the scrape loading/dye transfer method. Inhibition of GJIC was detected within 2 hr with a noncytotoxic dose of MX (4 microg/ml), followed by partial restoration after 5 hr. A second phase of inhibition occurred after 10 hr and then the lowered level persisted for the 24 hr-incubation period. Dose-dependent inhibition was evident at both 2 hr and 24 hr, with much stronger effects at the former time. These findings indicate that MX is not mutagenic, mitogenic or carcinogenic in mice, and suggest that the compound exerts epigenetic actions leading to GJIC inhibition.

Enhancing effects of simultaneous treatment with sodium nitrite on 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline-induced rat liver, colon and Zymbal's gland carcinogenesis after initiation with diethylnitrosamine and 1,2-dimethylhydrazine.

Combined effects of sodium nitrite (NaNO2) and 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ) on liver, colon and Zymbal's gland carcinogenesis were assessed using a rat two-stage carcinogenesis model, with a focus on involvement of oxidative stress. Male 6-week-old F344 rats were given a single intraperitoneal injection of 200 mg/kg of diethylnitrosamine and 4 subcutaneous injections of 40 mg/kg of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine for initiation. Then, they were administered 0 or 300 ppm IQ in the diet or 0, 0.1 or 0.2% NaNO2 in their drinking water for 27 weeks. The treatment with NaNO2+IQ significantly enhanced colon and Zymbal's gland carcinogenesis and tended to enhance hepatocarcinogenesis. The incidence of lung tumors in the IQ-treated groups was significantly increased as compared with the initiation alone group. In a second experiment, male rats were given IQ or NaNO2 under the same conditions as before for 1 week, and at sacrifice, their liver and colon tissue or mucosa were collected for analysis of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), acrolein-modified protein and the bromodeoxyuridine-labeling index (BrdU-LI) (in the colon). In the colon, 8-OHdG, acrolein-modified protein levels and BrdU-LI were significantly increased by the combined treatment. These results indicate that the treatment with NaNO2 enhances IQ-induced colon and Zymbal's gland carcinogenesis in rats and that oxidative DNA damage and lipid peroxidation may partly be involved, especially in the colon. In addition, this experiment showed that IQ can act as a potent lung carcinogen in rats.

Lack of enhancing effects of sodium nitrite on 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP)-induced mammary carcinogenesis in female Sprague-Dawley rats.

A number of heterocyclic amines (HCAs) have been shown to exert enhanced carcinogenic and mutagenic potential when given simultaneously with sodium nitrite (NaNO(2)). In the present experiment, effects of combined treatment with NaNO(2) and 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP), one of the most prevalent carcinogenic HCAs in the human environment, were assessed with regard to mammary tumor induction in female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Animals at 6 weeks of age were given intragastric doses of 100mg/kg body weight of PhIP twice a week for 4 weeks, during which period 0 or 0.2% NaNO(2) was administered in the drinking water. Control rats received 0.2% NaNO(2) alone for the 4 weeks or non-supplemented water during the entire 48 week experimental period, without carcinogen treatment. The first tumor in the PhIP+NaNO(2) group appeared significantly later than with PhIP alone, and during the experimental period, the incidence, multiplicity and volume of mammary tumors in this group tended towards decreased, although values did not significantly differ at the terminal sacrifice. These results indicate that NaNO(2) does not enhance PhIP-induced rat mammary carcinogenesis, rather possessing some potential for inhibition.

Pronounced synergistic promotion of N-bis(2-hydroxypropyl)nitrosamine-initiated thyroid tumorigenesis in rats treated with excess soybean and iodine-deficient diets.

We have reported that excess soybean treatment and iodine deficiency synergistically interact, resulting in remarkable induction of thyroid hyperplasias in rats. In the present study, modifying effects of excess soybean and iodine-deficient diets were investigated in the post-initiation phase of N-bis(2-hydroxypropyl)nitrosamine [DHPN]-initiated thyroid tumorigenesis in rats. AIN-93G in which casein was replaced with gluten was used as a basal diet to avoid possible iodine contamination. In Experiment 1, F-344 rats of both sexes were sc injected with DHPN at a dose of 2800 mg/kg body weight and then fed a diet containing 0%, 0.8%, 4%, or 20% defatted soybean for 12 weeks, with proportional replacement of gluten by soybean flour. Although no thyroid proliferative lesions were found in any group, the absolute thyroid weights were significantly (p < 0.01) elevated with the 20% soybean treatment. In Experiment 2, after similar sc injection of DHPN, rats were fed a basal diet or a diet containing 20% soybean under iodine normal or deficient conditions for 12 weeks. Soybean feeding to both sexes under iodine deficient but not normal conditions dramatically enhanced the development of thyroid follicular adenomas (p < 0.01) and adenocarcinomas (p < 0.05), in good agreement with decrease in thyroxine and increase in thyroid-stimulating hormone. Thus co-exposure to excess soybean and iodine deficiency results in synergistic promotion of DHPN-initiated thyroid tumorigenesis in rats, of which mechanisms appear to primarily involve effects on serum hormone levels.

Specificity of co-promoting effects of caffeine on thyroid carcinogenesis in rats pretreated with N-bis(2-hydroxypropyl)nitrosamine.

The specificity of copromotion effects of caffeine with known goitrogenic factors on thyroid carcinogenesis was examined in rats pretreated with N-bis(2-hydroxypropyl)nitrosamine (DHPN). Male F344 rats were divided into 8 groups, each consisting of 10 animals, and received a single sc injection of 2,800 mg/kg DHPN. From one week after the DHPN initiation, they were given basal diet, iodine deficiency (ID) diet, 500 ppm phenobarbital (PB) solution or 1,000 ppm sulfadimethoxine (SDM) solution with or without 1,500 ppm caffeine feeding for 12 weeks. The caffeine, PB, SDM, and ID treatments significantly (p < 0.05 or 0.01) increased the relative thyroid weights, and the increases with PB or ID were further (p < 0.05 or 0.01) enhanced in combination with caffeine. SDM drastically promoted thyroid carcinogenesis in association with increased serum TSH levels regardless of the caffeine treatment. Thyroid follicular carcinomas and adenomas were more frequently observed in the additional caffeine groups than in the ID alone groups. The incidence and multiplicity of focal thyroid follicular hyperplasias in the ID-treated groups were significantly (p < 0.05 and 0.01) elevated in the case of combination with caffeine. Increases in serum TSH levels with PB or ID were also further enhanced in combination with caffeine. Serum thyroid hormone levels were significantly (p < 0.01) decreased by SDM but significantly (p < 0.05 or 0.01) increased by caffeine, PB or ID. Our results clearly indicate that dietary caffeine at a high dose of 1,500 ppm interacts with ID, but neither SDM nor PB, to promote rat thyroid carcinogenesis although the combined caffeine + PB treatment somewhat affected thyroid weights as well as thyroid hormone levels.

Dose-related changes of oxidative stress and cell proliferation in kidneys of male and female F344 rats exposed to potassium bromate.

It is still of importance to investigate renal carcinogenesis by potassium bromate (KBrO3), a by-product of water disinfection by ozonation, for assessment of the risk to man. Five female F344 rats in each group were given KBrO3 at a dose of 300 mg/kg by single i.g. intubation or at a dose of 80 mg/kg by single i.p. injection, and were killed 48 h after the administration for measurements of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) and 8-oxodeoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) levels in the kidney. Both levels in the treated animals were significantly elevated as compared with the control values. In a second experiment, 5 male and female F344 rats in each group were administered KBrO3 at concentrations of 0, 15, 30, 60, 125, 250 and 500 ppm in the drinking water for 4 weeks. KBrO3 in the drinking water did not elevate TBARS in either sex at any of the doses examined, but 8-oxodG formation in both sexes at 250 ppm and above was significantly higher than in the controls. Additionally, the bromodeoxyuridine-labeling index for proximal convoluted tubules was significantly increased at 30 ppm and above in the males, and at 250 ppm and above in the females. Alpha2u-globulin accumulation in the kidneys of male rats was increased with statistical significance at 125 ppm and above. These findings suggest that DNA oxidation induced by KBrO3 may occur independently of lipid peroxidation and more than 250 ppm KBrO3 in the drinking water can exert a carcinogenic effect by way of oxidative stress.

Enhancement of urinary bladder carcinogenesis by combined treatment with benzyl isothiocyanate and N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine in rats after initiation.

Previously we reported that benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) strongly enhanced rat urinary bladder carcinogenesis after initiation with N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (BBN), while potently inhibiting BBN-induction of lesions when given simultaneously with the carcinogen. In the present experiment, the effects of simultaneous treatment with BITC and low-dose BBN on the post-initiation period of rat urinary bladder carcinogenesis were examined. After treatment with 500 ppm BBN for 4 weeks for initiation, groups of 20, 6-week-old, F344 male rats were given 25 ppm BBN alone, basal diet alone, or 100 or 1000 ppm BITC in the diet together with or without 25 ppm BBN in their drinking water for 36 weeks and then killed for autopsy. Further groups consisting of 10 rats each were similarly given BITC or the basal diet together with or without 25 ppm BBN, without initiation treatment. In the initiated groups receiving subsequent BBN exposure, papillary and nodular hyperplasia, dysplasia and carcinoma incidences were significantly increased, and they were further increased by the combined treatment with 100 and 1000 ppm BITC in a dose-dependent manner. In the non-initiation groups, carcinomas were only observed in a single rat in each of the BBN-treated control and BBN/BITC 100 ppm treatment groups. The results indicate that simultaneous treatment with BITC and a low dose of BBN does not inhibit, but rather enhances rat urinary bladder carcinogenesis after appropriate initiation, and further suggest that BITC may be a human risk factor, at least in high-risk populations.

Lack of modifying effects of atrazine and/or tamoxifen on thyroid carcinogenesis in rats pretreated with N-bis(2-hydroxypropyl)nitrosamine (DHPN).

The modifying effects of atrazine, and/or tamoxifen, on thyroid carcinogenesis were investigated in a rat two-stage carcinogenesis model following N-bis(2-hydroxypropyl)nitrosamine (DHPN) initiation. Five-week-old male F344 rats were given a single subcutaneous injection of DHPN (2800 mg/kg, body weight) or vehicle alone. Starting 1 week later, the animals were fed a diet supplemented with 0, 5, 50 or 500 ppm of atrazine, 500 ppm atrazine plus 5 ppm tamoxifen, or 5 ppm tamoxifen in the DHPN-treated groups, and 0 or 500 ppm of atrazine in the DHPN-untreated groups for 24 weeks. At autopsy major organs, including the thyroid, pituitary, liver, kidney, testis, epididymis, and brain, were collected and histopathologically examined. Body weights were significantly (P<0.05) decreased by the high doses of atrazine or tamoxifen, the effect being enhanced in combination. Relative thyroid weights were significantly increased (P<0.05) only in the tamoxifen-treated group and pituitary weights were elevated with 500 ppm atrazine plus tamoxifen (P<0.05). Relative liver weights were increased by the high dose of atrazine. However, the atrazine and/or tamoxifen treatments did not induce significant histopathological changes in the major organs, including the thyroid, nor cause significant changes in serum TSH levels. These results suggest that neither atrazine nor tamoxifen may promote thyroid carcinogenesis, alone as well as in combination.

Lack of significant inhibitory effects of a plant lignan tracheloside on 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP)-induced mammary carcinogenesis in female Sprague-Dawley rats.

Tracheloside, one of the plant lignans which can be extracted from the debris after safflower oil is produced from the seeds of Carthamus tinctorious, is an analogue of another plant lignan, arctiin, the side-chain C-2 of the five-membered ring being changed from a hydrogen to a hydroxyl group. We have already demonstrated that arctiin has chemopreventive effect on mammary carcinogenesis. Therefore, chemopreventive effects of tracheloside on the initiation or post-initiation period of 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP)-induced mammary carcinogenesis in female rats were examined. For initiation, female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats at the 6 weeks of age were given intragastric administrations of 100 mg/kg body weight of PhIP once a week for 8 weeks. The animals were treated with 0.2 or 0.02% tracheloside during or after this carcinogen exposure. Control rats were fed basal diet with PhIP initiation or 0.2% tracheloside or basal diet alone without initiation throughout the experimental period. All surviving animals were necropsied at the week 52 of administration. There were no clear treatment-related changes with statistical significance in all parameters for mammary carcinomas measured in this experiment. These results indicate that tracheloside may not exert significant effects on PhIP-induced mammary carcinogenesis at least under the present experiment condition.

Synergistic interaction between excess caffeine and deficient iodine on the promotion of thyroid carcinogenesis in rats pretreated with N-bis(2-hydroxypropyl)nitrosamine.

The combined effects of caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine) with iodine deficiency (ID) were examined in a rat two-stage thyroid carcinogenesis model using N-bis(2-hydroxypropyl)nitrosamine (DHPN). Male F344 rats were divided into 6 groups each consisting of 10 animals, and received a single s.c. injection of 2800 mg/kg DHPN. From 1 week after the DHPN initiation, the rats were respectively fed a basal diet in which the protein was exchanged for 20% gluten, containing 1500 ppm caffeine + ID, 300 ppm caffeine + ID, 60 ppm caffeine + ID, 1500 ppm caffeine or ID or a basal diet alone for 12 weeks. Relative thyroid weights were significantly (P < 0.05) increased due to the development of proliferative lesions induced by the ID diet as compared to the DHPN-alone group value, which was enhanced by caffeine, albeit without statistical significance. Relative pituitary weights were significantly (P < 0.05) increased with 300 or 1500 ppm caffeine + ID as compared to the DHPN-alone group value. Serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels were slightly increased by ID, an effect which was further enhanced by 300 or 1500 ppm caffeine. Serum thyroxine (T(4)) levels were slightly increased by caffeine or ID alone, but decreased by caffeine with ID. Histopathologically, thyroid follicular carcinomas were found only in the 1500 ppm caffeine + ID group, although thyroid follicular adenomas were detected in all the ID-treated groups. The multiplicity of focal thyroid follicular hyperplasias was significantly (P < 0.05) increased by 1500 ppm caffeine. These results indicate that caffeine may synergistically promote thyroid carcinogenesis with ID partially through a pituitary-dependent pathway in rats, implying the possible implication of routine caffeine intake in the promotion of thyroid carcinogenesis.

Chemoprevention of lung carcinogenesis by cacao liquor proanthocyanidins in a male rat multi-organ carcinogenesis model.

The effects of cacao liquor proanthocyanidins (CLPr) on tumorigenesis were investigated using a multi-organ carcinogenesis model in male F344 rats receiving combined treatment with a single i.p. injection of diethylnitrosamine (100 mg/kg body wt), four i.p. injections of N-methylnitrosourea (20 mg/kg body wt), four s.c. injections of dimethylhydrazine (40 mg/kg body wt), along with 0.05% N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine and then 0.1% 2,2'-dihydroxy-di-n-propylnitrosamine, both in the drinking water, for 2 weeks each, during the initial 4-week period (DMBDD treatment). Starting 1 week thereafter, rats were administered CLPr at a dose of 0.025% or 0.25% and the experiment was terminated at week 36. The final survival rate for the DMBDD+0.25% CLPr group was significantly greater than for the DMBDD alone group. In the lung, significant reduction in the incidence and multiplicity of carcinomas was also observed, and in the thyroid, quantitative values for adenomas also tended to decrease in a CLPr dose-dependent manner. No significant modification in the small intestine, colon or kidney was evident. These results indicate that CLPr exerts chemopreventive effects in the lung without any promoting influence in other major organs.

A cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, nimesulide, inhibits postinitiation phase of N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine-induced pancreatic carcinogenesis in hamsters.

The modification effects of nimesulide, a cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitor, administration during the postinitiation phase of pancreatic carcinogenesis were investigated in hamsters treated with N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine (BOP). Male Syrian hamsters were given 4 weekly s.c. injections of BOP at a dose of 10 mg/kg and thereafter administered 0, 100 or 400 ppm nimesulide in the diet for 36 weeks. Additional groups of hamsters were fed 400 ppm nimesulide without prior BOP initiation or nontreated. At week 40, all surviving animals were killed and development of neoplastic and preneoplastic lesions was assessed histopathologically. The incidence of pancreatic adenocarcinomas was significantly (p < 0.05) decreased in the BOP/400 ppm nimesulide group compared to the BOP alone group. The multiplicity of total lesions of pancreatic adenocarcinoma plus atypical hyperplasia was also significantly (p < 0.05) lowered. Immunohistochemically, COX-2 was clearly expressed in pancreatic and lung tumor cells, whereas expression was not remarkably affected by the 400 ppm nimesulide treatment. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen labeling indices of pancreatic ducts were significantly (p < 0.01) reduced by nimesulide. The incidence and multiplicity of neoplastic lesions in other organs did not significantly differ among the BOP-treated groups, though only the multiplicity of lung tumors showed a tendency to decrease. No neoplastic lesions were detected in animals receiving nimesulide alone. Our results clearly indicate that nimesulide protects against BOP-induced pancreatic tumors in hamsters.

Prolonged effects of beta-estradiol 3-benzoate on thyroid tumorigenesis in gonadectomized rats pretreated with N-bis(2-hydroxypropyl)nitrosamine.

The prolonged modulatory effects of beta-estradiol 3-benzoate (EB), a synthetic estrogenic compound, were investigated in a rat two-stage thyroid tumorigenesis model. One week after a single subcutaneous (s.c.) injection of N-bis(2-hydroxypropyl)nitrosamine, gonadectomized F344 rats of both sexes were s.c. implanted with fused pellets containing EB for 32 weeks. Doses of EB at 0, 0.004, 0.02 and 0.1mg were achieved by varying the ratio of EB to cholesterol in the pellet. Major organs including the thyroid, pituitary, liver, kidneys, uterus and brain were weighed and histopathological observation was performed. Serum was assayed for triiodothyronine (T(3)), thyroxine (T(4)) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). Thyroid weights were increased by the EB pellet implantation in a dose-dependent manner and significantly (P<0.05) elevated in the 0.1mg EB male group and in the 0.02 and 0.1mg EB female groups. The EB treatments dose-dependently suppressed serum T(4) levels and inversely elevated serum TSH levels in both sexes but without statistical significance in females. Histopathologically, EB increased the occurrence of thyroid proliferative lesions in males and showed a tendency for increase in females. Interestingly, the effect of EB was more intensive in males than in females, even the lowest dose inducing a follicular carcinoma in a male. These results, thus indicate the possible contribution of prolonged EB stimulation at lower doses to thyroid tumorigenesis without additional promotive condition.

Simultaneous treatment with benzyl isothiocyanate, a strong bladder promoter, inhibits rat urinary bladder carcinogenesis by N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine.

Effects of benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) on urinary bladder carcinogenesis were examined in rats simultaneously treated with N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (BBN). Groups of 20 6-wk-old Fischer 344 male rats were given 10, 100, or 1,000 ppm BITC in the diet or a basal diet with 50 ppm BBN in the drinking water for 40 wk and then killed for autopsy. Additional groups consisting of 10 or 9 rats were similarly given BITC or the basal diet alone without BBN treatment. With BBN treatment, dysplasia, papilloma, and carcinoma incidences and multiplicities were dramatically decreased by simultaneous treatment with BITC in a clear dose-dependent manner. In contrast, epithelial hyperplasia was induced in rats treated with 100 and 1,000 ppm BITC without BBN. These results clearly indicate that although BITC may have weak carcinogenic potency, it is a potent chemopreventive agent against bladder tumor induction by BBN.

A repeated 28-day oral dose toxicity study of genistein in rats, based on the 'Enhanced OECD Test Guideline 407' for screening endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

In association with the international validation project to establish an OECD Enhanced Test Guideline 407, we performed a 28-day repeated-dose toxicity study of genistein, which is known as a phytoestrogen. Attention was paid to the sensitivity of certain additional parameters, such as histopathology observations and organ weights of endocrine related organs, sperm characteristics, serum hormone levels and estrous cycle, for detecting endocrine-related effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals based on the existing TG 407. Seven-week-old Crj:CD(SD)IGS rats were assigned to one of four groups, each consisting of ten males and ten females, and genistein was administered once daily by gavage at doses of 0 (control), 120, 400 or 1000 mg/kg body weight per day. Male rats were killed on the day after the 28th administration. Female rats were killed on the day of the diestrus stage during the 4 days after the 28th administration. Endocrine-disrupting effects of genistein were detected in females by histopathology. The changes included vacuolation and mucinification of the vaginal epithelium in the 400 and 1000 mg/kg groups; however, the incidences of the lesion were very low. Although increased serum prolactin levels were recorded in the males of the 1000 mg/kg group, we could not determine whether this was indeed induced by genistein. General toxicological effects of genistein were detected in blood chemistry, such as increased triglycerides and total protein and a decreased albumin/globulin ratio, as well as increased liver weight and glycogen deposition in the periportal hepatocytes. Based on these results, the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) in the present study was estimated to be 120 mg/kg per day. In particular, endocrine-related effects were most sensitively detected by histopathology examination of sexual organs. However, the findings indicate that chemicals with weak endocrine-disrupting potential like genistein must be evaluated taking into consideration the results of other test systems.

Enhancing effects of oltipraz on the development of spontaneous hepatic lesions in LEC rats.

Oltipraz, developed as an antischistosomal agent, protects against the hepatotoxicity of many xenobiotics and is known to be an effective inhibitor of experimental carcinogenesis in rodents. In the present study, we investigated its effects on the development of lesions in LEC rats, established as a mutant strain characterized by a hereditary predisposition for hepatic damage with severe jaundice. A total of 35 male 6-week-old LEC rats were divided into 2 groups, one administered diet supplemented with oltipraz at a dose of 400 ppm, and the other fed basal diet alone. Animals in each group were sequentially sacrificed at 10, 15, and 25 weeks after commencement of the oltipraz administration. Eight animals died or became moribund in the oltipraz group during weeks 10 and 11 of the treatment, whereas only one rat in the nontreatment group died after 16 weeks. All dead or moribund animals showed severe or moderate jaundice. The treatment caused a decrease in body weight gain from 9 to 13 weeks, and an increase in relative liver weight at each sacrifice point. Serum biochemical assays performed at week 25 revealed elevated levels of serum AST, ALT, LDH, ALP, gamma-GTP, and Cu in the treated-animals. The glutathione level in the livers of oltipraz-treated animals was significantly higher than that in the control rats. Histopathologically, enlarged hepatocytes with large nuclei, focal necrosis, pigment granule-laden Kupffer cells and hypertrophy of renal tubule cells were observed in both groups, but the severity of these changes was greater in the oltipraz group. Our results thus indicate that spontaneous hepatic damage in LEC rats is enhanced by oltipraz, by a mechanism that remains to be elucidated.

A repeated 28-day oral dose toxicity study of 17alpha-methyltestosterone in rats, based on the 'enhanced OECD Test Guideline 407' for screening the endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

As part of the international validation project to establish the Enhanced OECD Test Guideline 407, we performed a 28-day repeated-dose toxicity study of 17alpha-methyltestosterone, an exogenous androgen agonist. Special attention was paid to the sensitivity of additional parameters for detecting endocrine-related effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, based on the existing Test Guideline 407. Seven-week-old Crj:CD(SD)IGS rats were allocated to one of four groups, each consisting of ten males and ten females, and 17alpha-methyltestosterone was administered daily by gavage at doses of 0 (control), 5, 20 and 80 mg/kg body weight per day. Male rats were killed on the day after the 28th administration and females on the day of the diestrus stage during the 4 day period after the 28th administration. Male rats receiving 80 mg/kg 17alpha-methyltestosterone demonstrated decreases in testis and epididymis weights, atrophy of seminiferous tubules and Leydig cells, and degenerated pachytene spermatocytes in the testes and degenerated germ cells in the epididymides as major alterations. Female rats showed abnormal estrous cycles, decreases in ovary and adrenal weights, increase in immature follicles with decreased corpus lutea in the ovaries at doses of 5 mg/kg and higher, as well as atrophy of zona reticularis in the adrenals and increase in mammary gland secretion at 20 mg/kg and above. Dilatation of the lumina and apoptosis of endometrial cells in the uterus, mucinification in the vagina and increase in serum follicle-stimulating hormone were seen with 80 mg/kg. Among the parameters examined in the present experimental system, effects of 17alpha-methyltestosterone on endocrine-related organs were detected in organ weights and histopathological examination of both sexes, and in serum hormones and estrous cycle of females. Based on these results, the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) in the present study was estimated to be below 5 mg/kg per day. In particular, effects were most sensitively detected by organ weights and histopathological examination of sexual organs.

Enhancement by cigarette smoke exposure of 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline-induced rat hepatocarcinogenesis in close association with elevation of hepatic CYP1A2.

The modifying effects of cigarette smoke (CS) exposure on a heterocyclic amine (HCA) 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx)-induced carcinogenesis were investigated in male F344 rats. Groups 1 and 2 were fed MeIQx at a dose of 300 ppm, and simultaneously received CS and sham smoke (SS) for 16 weeks, respectively. Groups 3 - 5 were given the MeIQx diet for 4 weeks, and simultaneously exposed to CS for 4 weeks (group 3), exposed to CS for 12 weeks after the MeIQx treatment (group 4) or received SS for 16 weeks (group 5). Groups 6 and 7 were fed basal diet and respectively received CS and SS for 16 weeks. In terms of the mean number or area, the development of glutathione S-transferase placental form-positive (GST-P(+)) liver cell foci was significantly (P < 0.01) greater in group 1 than in group 2. The mean number of colonic aberrant crypt foci (ACFs) per animal was increased by continuous CS exposure regardless of MeIQx feeding, the differences between groups 4 and 5 (P < 0.05), and between groups 6 and 7 (P < 0.05) being significant. Immunoblot analysis confirmed that the hepatic CYP1A2 level in group 6 was remarkably increased as compared to that in group 7. In addition, liver S9 from rats in group 6 consistently increased the mutagenic activities of six HCAs including MeIQx as compared to those in group 7. Thus, our results clearly indicate that CS enhances hepatocarcinogenesis when given in the initiation phase via increasing intensity of metabolic activation for MeIQx and possibly colon carcinogenesis when given in the post-initiation phase in rats induced by MeIQx.