Transplantation and chromosomal analysis of cell lines derived from mesotheliomas induced in rats with erionite and UICC chrysotile asbestos.

The histological lesions, chromosomal characteristics and transplantability of 6 erionite-induced and 7 UICC chrysotile-induced rat mesotheliomas are compared. The tumours were of 4 types: tubulopapillary, fibrosarcomatous, mixed fibrosarcomatous and tubulopapillary, and mixed fibrosarcomatous and chondrosarcomatous. Cell lines derived from these tumours displayed heterogeneous chromosome anomalies, but none were unique either to chrysotile or erionite treatment. Six of 7 erionite-induced and 4 of 6 UICC chrysotile-induced tumours had various anomalies of chromosome No. 1. When 7 cell lines were transplanted into syngeneic rats, all produced tumours that were pathologically similar to the original tumour, regardless of the route of injection. Cytogenetically, the cell lines derived from tumours after intrapleural transplantation resembled the injected cell line. The cytogenetic analysis of the cell lines derived from the tumours after subcutaneous transplantation is in progress. The induction period for transplanted tumours was 28-80 days.