Long term tumorigenicity of a single application of indomethacin or Amuno in adolescent and in adult male Sprague Dawley rats.

200 adolescent (Group I) and 200 adult male Sprague Dawley rats (Group II) were divided into 4 subgroups of 50 animals each. Animals were treated on the 29th (Group I) or 98th day of life (Group II) either with acetone or Amuno carrier in acetone or Amuno on acetone (2.5 mg indomethacin/100 g animal weight in acetone) or with the pure substance indomethacin 2.5 mg/100 g of animal weight in acetone, giving a single application on the shaved dorsal skin. Subsequently the animals remained under observation until their deaths, followed by autopsy and histopathologic examination of several organs. The rats treated with Amuno of indomethacin in the adolescent stage showed lower body weights and a shorter total survival time. The adolescent animals treated with Amuno or indomethacin showed a significantly higher rate of interstitial testicular tumors of the Leydig tumor type, adenomas and adenocarcinomas of the small and large intestine as well as hepatocellular tumors. The total number of neoplasias was higher in the animals treated with Amuno or indomethacin compared to those treated with acetone or carrier with acetone. Application of Amuno or indomethacin also resulted in a higher rate of hyperplasias (sole of foot, lymph nodes, prostate). The impairment of the synthesis of prostaglandins caused by indomethacin apparently results in starting complex pathomechanisms which have effects until the late death of the animals. Adolescent animals were affected more frequently by the application of indomethacin as were already adult animals.

Comparison of S-phase fractions measured by flow cytometry and autoradiography in human transplant tumors.

The 3H-thymidine labeling index (TLI) and the percentage of cells in the S-phase have been determined by autoradiography and by flow cytometry, (FCM), respectively, in six malignant tumors of human origin transplanted on athymic nude mice. The Dean and Jett model and the graphical model were used to determine the percent of S-phase cells by FCM. Cell cycle analysis was performed using 1) no correction for background; 2) an algebraic function for background correction; and 3) an exponential function for background subtraction. Each of these three data sets was evaluated using both the Dean and Jett model and a graphical model for the evaluation of DNA histograms. The S-phase fractions (SPF) were compared to the corresponding labeling index results. SPF without background correction were 1.54 times higher than the TLI. SPF, after correction using the algebraic model, were 1.29-fold higher than the TLI, whereas SPF obtained after background subtraction according to the exponential model were only 1.05-fold higher than the TLI. Student's t-test revealed significant differences between the mean TLI values (16.25 +/- 9.06) and the mean SPF obtained by FCM without background correction (mean 25.0 +/- 9.36, P less than 0.01), but not between the mean TLI values and the mean SPF percentages after algebraic (mean 21.0 +/- 10.29) and exponential background correction (mean 17.11 +/- 11.59), P greater than 0.05 each. There was no difference between the results obtained using the Dean and Jett model and those obtained using the graphic evaluation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Benzoyl peroxide promotes the formation of melanotic tumors in the skin of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-initiated Syrian golden hamsters.

A two-stage carcinogenesis experiment was performed in Syrian golden hamsters using a single intragastric initiation with 10 mg/kg body weight of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) and repetitive topical promotion on the back skin with two different doses (80 and 160 mg, respectively) of benzoyl peroxide in 1 ml acetone. Benzoyl peroxide was administered three times per week over a period of 16 months. The treatment with benzoyl peroxide alone leads to both a generalized hyperpigmentation and skin scaling without formation of any tumors. DMBA initiation alone induces a moderate number of melanotic foci and a small number of palpable melanotic tumors. Both lesions are located in the dermis. Papillomas develop in the epithelia of the tongue, esophagus and especially of the forestomach but not, however, on the back skin. The combined treatment with DMBA and both doses of benzoyl peroxide drastically increases the incidence of dermal melanotic foci and at late stages also that of melanotic tumors. Therefore, in addition to its known ability to promote papilloma and carcinoma formation in the back skin of mice, benzoyl peroxide is also able to promote the formation of melanotic tumors in the dermis of hamsters.

Inhibition of the prenatal dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-induced tumour initiation in mice by prior administration of 7,8-benzoflavone.

7,8-Benzoflavone (BF) was applied orally via stomach tube in doses of 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight to pregnant NMRI mice on the 18th day of gestation. BF application was followed 1 h later by oral administration of 60 mg/kg body weight dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA). As a rule this dose of DMBA does not lead to prenatal secondary effects and is not carcinogenic to either the mother animals or the F1 generation. Subsequent promotion of the F1 generation with the tumour promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate over a period of 12 weeks resulted in a high yield of skin papillomas and lung adenomas when no BF had been applied. With prior application of BF, the tumour yield could be significantly reduced.

Three-stage tumorigenesis in mouse skin: DNA synthesis as a prerequisite for the conversion stage induced by TPA prior to initiation.

Recent evidence shows that stage I of tumor promotion in NMRI-mouse skin induced by a single dose of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) can be effected not only after initiation by 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) but also several weeks prior to initiation. In view of this partial inversion of the initiation-promotion sequence we proposed to replace the term 'stage I of promotion' by the term 'conversion'. The convertogenic effectivity of a single dose of TPA applied after DMBA can be suppressed in a rather characteristic and non-toxic fashion by hydroxyurea (HU). In the present study we asked whether HU might also interfere with the converting effectivity of a single dose of TPA given prior to DMBA. NMRI mice received a single dose of TPA 3 weeks prior to initiation by DMBA which was followed by twice weekly application of skin irritant 12-O-retinoylphorbol-13-acetate (RPA) in order to effect stage II of promotion. A single dose of HU given i.p. at different times after TPA was found to interfere with tumor formation exhibiting an almost complete inhibition if administered 18 h after TPA. This inhibition did not prevent a subsequent promotion by repetitive TPA treatment. The data indicate that conversion can be inhibited by HU in the same characteristic fashion regardless of whether TPA was administered after or prior to initiation. The data also support the autonomous character of the conversion process for which epidermal DNA synthesis appears to be obligatory.

Suppression of the first stage of phorbol 12-tetradecanoate 13-acetate-effected tumor promotion in mouse skin by nontoxic inhibition of DNA synthesis.

In order to evaluate the significance of epidermal cell proliferation for the first stage of skin tumor promotion, the effect of hydroxyurea (HU), an inhibitor of DNA synthesis, on tumor formation was studied. Mice initiated with 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene received a single dose of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) in stage I of promotion, followed by twice weekly application of the irritant skin mitogen phorbol 12-retinoate 13-acetate in stage II. A single dose of HU given intraperitoneally at different times before or after treatment with PMA was found to interfere with tumor formation, exhibiting an almost complete inhibition if administered 18 hr after PMA--i.e., at the time of maximal DNA synthesis. The inhibition of tumor formation by HU in the two-stage promotion experiment did not prevent a subsequent promotion of cells by repetitive PMA treatment. This indicates that the inhibitory effect of HU was due neither to cytotoxicity (killing of initiated cells) nor to an interference with initiation. The data indicate that epidermal DNA synthesis is obligatory for PMA-induced first-stage promotion. The causal relationship between both events remains to be established.

Skin tumor formation in the European hamster (Cricetus cricetus L.) after topical initiation with 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) and promotion with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA).

Initiation with the carcinogen 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene followed by promotion with the hyperplasiogenic phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate carried out on the dorsal skin of European hamsters (Cricetus cricetus L.) led to the formation of a broad spectrum of skin tumors in terms of a two-stage principle. Tumor formation involved the epidermis and its appendages, the connective tissue, and the vascular and pigmentary system. With regard to the sensitivity to initiation with DMBA alone and initiation with DMBA and promotion with TPA the European hamster occupies a special position since all of the DMBA-TPA sensitive two-stage target organs known from the mouse, rabbit, Syrian golden hamster and rat are combined in this animal.

Interaction of phorbol derivatives with replicating cells.

The significance of the interaction of phorbol derivatives with replicating cells has been studied in HeLa cells and in tumour promotion experiments. Dose-response relationships for the radiomimetic activity of phorbol derivatives in HeLa cells (Kinzel et al., 1980) were obtained by analysis of the degree of transient blockage in G2 phase of the cell cycle. HeLa cells are shown to be one order of magnitude more sensitive to 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) than to equally mitogenic and irritant but much less promoting derivatives. The susceptibility of HeLa cells reflects the promoting capacity of these compounds. Studies on effects of modifiers on TPA-induced G2 blockage indicate that the influence of TPA, even in a single cell cycle phase, may be the result of a 'multiple site' attack. The significance of the interaction of TPA with replicating mouse epidermal cells in tumour promotion has been demonstrated in animal experiments after initiation with 7-12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene by using a two-stage protocol which effects promotion with a single dose of TPA followed by repeated treatment with 12-O-retinoylphorbol-13-acetate (Fürstenberger et al., 1981). A single dose of the inhibitor of DNA synthesis, hydroxyurea, given to groups of mice at different times before and after treatment with TPA interferes with tumour formation; almost complete inhibition is observed after 18 h. The interaction of TPA and DNA-synthesizing cells seems to be of crucial importance to the first stage of tumour promotion.

On the persistence of tumor initiation in two-stage carcinogenesis on mouse skin.

The persistence of the initiated state during two-step carcinogenesis in mouse epidermis is a generally accepted phenomenon, however, conflicting results exist with regard to the degree of irreversibility relative to the age of the animals. Several factors such as age-dependent alterations in the response of the epidermis to the promoter and skin damage following the initiation step have been proposed to account for the observed discrepancies. In the present investigation we have tried to circumvent skin-damaging effects of topically applied 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene by intragastric administration of the drug. Tumor production by topical promotion with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate was subsequently determined in 600 female NMRI mice using intervals of 4, 8, 16, 24, 32 and 40 weeks between initiation and promotion. Independent of the delay between the initiating and promoting step, we observed a similar time course and extent of tumor production in the different experimental groups. This indirectly proves that the promoting capacity of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate is age-independent and that during aging no substantial loss of initiated cells occurs in mouse epidermis.

7,12-Dimethylbenz[a]anthracene/12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate-mediated skin tumor initiation and promotion in male Sprague-Dawley rats.

In contrast to a previous report by Shubik and in accordance with a pilot study from our laboratory with female rats, the 2-stage skin carcinogenesis experiment could be successfully accomplished in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Male animals of this species are better suited for this long-term experiment since, under the conditions used, females are very sensitive to mammary gland tumor formation and show a drastically reduced survival time. A broad spectrum of tumors of epidermal origin could be induced by topical initiation with 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) and 12-O-tetra-decanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) as promoter. The tumors were not only localized in the interfollicular epidermis but to a large extent also in the epidermal appendages. More importantly, the DMBA - TPA treatment led to the development of a variety of tumors of the connective tissue and the angiofibrous matrix. The incidence of these tumors was almost comparable to that found for epidermal tumors. In some animals we observed up to 12 histologically different tumors. Compared to the mouse, the tumor incidence in organs other than the skin was definitely lower. Ethyldiazoacetate (EDA), a substance which has been shown to induce skin tumors when administered i.v. to rats, was tested with regard to its initiating capacity. The combination EDA-TPA led to a skin tumor spectrum comparable to that produced by DMBA-TPA. However, the survival time of the EDA-TPA treated animals was significantly higher than those exposed to DMBA-TPA. EDA, therefore, seems to be a suitable alternative to DMBA for systemic initiation of skin tumors.

Tumor initiation by 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene in dermal melanocytes of hamster: inhibition through 7,8-benzoflavone.

Initiation of dermal melanocytes by 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]-anthracene (DMBA) in the dorsal skin of Syrian golden hamsters was investigated for its sensitivity to inhibition by 7,8-benzoflavone (BF). Initiation was carried out by a single intragastric application of DMBA (50 mg/kg body weight) and melanoma development pursued with or without subsequent promotion through repeated topical administration of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (40 nmol/animal, 3 X weekly). A single intragastric application of BF (200 mg/kg body weight) 2 h prior to DMBA resulted in a suppression of melanoma yields by approximately 70%. Further, there were indications that BF generally causes a decrease of melanoma rates and an increase of survival rates. The study provides a first mechanistic concept for melanoma initiation by DMBA. It shows that metabolic activation of DMBA (i) is prerequisite to initiation and (ii) has a similar molecular basis as in other target cells of DMBA, the essential pathway including the cytochrome P-448-dependent monooxygenase system.

Effect of the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate and its nonpromoting analogue 4-O-methyl-TPA on dorsal dermal melanocytes of the Syrian golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus).

The effect of the tumor promoter TPA and its inactive structural analogue 4-O-methyl-TPA on the induction of dorsal skin melanosis in the normal Syrian golden hamster and on the promotion of melanomas in DMBA-initiated animals was investigated. Both phenomena were observed in TPA-treated hamsters but could not be detected after exposure of animals to 4-O-methyl-TPA. In contrast to results obtained with a variety of other laboratory animals, neither TPA nor 4-O-methyl-TPA were able to induce epidermal hyperplasia of hamster dorsal skin.

Diaplacental initiation of NMRI mice with 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene during gestation days 6--20 and postnatal treatment of the F1-generation with the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate: tumor incidence in organs other than the skin.

The tumor spectrum and tumor incidence in organs other than the skin were investigated in the 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) treated F 1-generation of 13 groups of NMRI mice which had been initiated by a single intragastric dose of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene during days 6, 8, and 10--20 of pregnancy. Promotion by topical application of TPA to the back skin was carried out twice per week 12 weeks after birth over a period of 26 weeks. The forestomach epithelium represented the only organ in which statistically significant 2-stage carcinogenesis could be demonstrated. A promotion effect could be seen in tumors of the Harderian gland, of the liver of male animals and on the development of both benign and malignant tumors of the lung in both sexes. Promotion treatment therefore led to an activation of initiated tumor cells in those organs in which a very sensitive, more or less narrowly spaced oncogenic determination period exists.

Two-stage skin carcinogenesis by systemic initiation of pregnant mice with 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene during gestation days 6-20 and postnatal promotion of the F 1-generation with the phorbol ester 12-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate.

The DMBA-TPA-mediated two-stage skin carcinogenesis experiment was modified in that pregnant mice were systemically treated once during pregnancy with the carcinogen. Intragastric application times were fetal days 6, 8, and 10-20. A control group of pregnant mice received repeated doses (from days 8-20) of sesame oil, which was used as a solvent for DMBA. At the age of 12 weeks, the offspring of the control group were divided into two groups, one of which was left completely untreated, the other received TPA applications over 26 weeks. The 12-week old F 1-progeny of each transplacentally initiated group was also divided into subgroups, which either received no further treatment (subgroups A) or were promoted with TPA (subgroups B). Neither the F 1-animals of the two control groups nor that of the transplacentally initiated but postnatally not promoted subgroups 6 A-20 A developed skin tumors. The same holds true for the TPA-promoted offsprings of mother animals which had received DMBA at days 6 and 8 of gestation. Skin tumor development after TPA promotion was first observed in animals of subgroup 10 B. Thereafter, tumor rates and tumor yields increased and latency periods decreased progressively in the B-subgroups with the postponement of initiation to later fetal periods. Day 19 of prenatal development proved to be the most sensitive period to transplacental initiation, whereas initiation at day 20 led to a significant decrease in tumor rate and yield. The capability to initiate skin tumors and the extent of initiation can be correlated to both the organogenesis of the epidermis and its proliferative rate in utero.

Systemic two-stage carcinogenesis in the epithelium of the forestomach of mice using 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene as initiator and the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate as promoter.

In a modified two-stage carcinogenesis experiment, the effectiveness of the initiator 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) and the tumor-promoting phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) in the epithelium of the forestomach of the mouse has been investigated. Fifty mice were treated intragastrically with a single dose of DMBA (50 mg/kg body weight), followed by repeated intragastric administration of TPA (10 mg/kg body weight) over a period of 35 weeks. In comparison with the corresponding control groups (no treatment, DMBA initiation only, and TPA treatment only), the initiated and promoted group clearly showed the highest tumor incidence in the target organ (45 tumor-bearing animals of 50 animals). No tumors of the forestomach were found in the untreated control group and the TPA-treated group, whereas in the DMBA-initiated group, ten animals had developed tumors of the forestomach. In addition to the mouse skin model for two-stage carcinogenesis, the mouse forestomach appears to respond to DMBA initiation-TPA promotion. This organ provides an additional tissue with which to investigate tumor promotion and further to ascertain specific parameters of the promotion step.

Transmaternal modification of the Berenblum/Mottram experiment in mice.

The classical 2-stage carcinogenesis experiment has been modified in that the carcinogen DMBA was applied to pregnant mother animals at different dose levels and different time intervals during pregnancy. Promotion with the phorbol ester TPA was performed as usual by application of the promoter on the back skin of mice of the F-1 generation. It can be shown that it is possible to initiate fetal epidermal cells by transmaternal route and to promote them to produce visible skin tumors post natum. Tumor promotion by TPA is not restricted to the epidermis, since a broad spectrum of tumors of internal organs can be demonstrated in the initiated and promoted animals. This more general promoting activity of TPA--which implies its absorption and distribution throughout the whole body--has not yet been described. In addition, especially sensitive phases during fetal life with regard to initiation of cells by the carcinogen can be demonstrated. These phases comprise the last third of pregnancy and coincide with a high proliferative activity and the onset of differentiation of the fetal epidermis. The results emphasize the important role of prenatal carcinogenesis and demonstrate the increased risk also to the human organism by either prenatal initiation or postnatal promotion.

Diaplacental carcinogenesis: initiation with the carcinogens dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA) and urethane during fetal life and postnatal promotion with the phorbol ester TPA in a modified 2-stage Berenblum/Mottram experiment.

Diaplacental initiation with the carcinogens DMBA or urethane followed by topical treatment of mice of F-1 generation with the tumor promotor TPA led to the formation of benign and malignant tumors on the back skin and also in various internal organs. (This system constitutes a modified 2-stage experiment based on the early schemes of Berenblum and Mottram.) Application of either the carcinogens or the tumor promoter alone did not lead to the formation of tumors within one year. The highest skin papilloma yield was obtained with mice initiated with DMBA from the 16--19th day of fetal life. The highest total tumor yield was obtained after initiation from day 18--21st. The combination urethane/TPA also promoted the formation of tumors of the skin and other organs. The significance of this modified prenatal-postnatal initiation/promotion scheme in human pathology is discussed.