Enhancement of hepatocarcinogenesis initiated with diethylnitrosamine or N-nitrosobis(2-hydroxypropyl)amine by a choline-deficient, L-amino acid-defined diet administered prior to the carcinogen exposure in rats.

Effects of pre-administration of a choline-deficient, L-amino acid-defined (CDAA) diet on hepatocarcinogenesis initiated with diethylnitrosamine (DEN) or N-nitrosobis(2-hydroxypropyl)amine (BHP) in rats were investigated. A pre-administrating period was set as 1 week, because CDAA diet induces liver injuries by this time-point. In a time-course study, male Fischer 344 rats, 6 weeks old, received a 1-week pre-administration of choline-supplemented, L-amino acid-defined (CSAA) or CDAA diet, DEN at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight by a single intraperitoneal injection, then CSAA or CDAA diet for up to 8 weeks, and were sacrificed 4, 6 and 8 weeks after DEN. CDAA diet administered only after DEN significantly increased the numbers of glutathione S-transferase placental form (GST-P)-positive lesions 4, 6 and 8 weeks after DEN and their sizes 6 and 8 weeks after DEN. CDAA diet administered both before and after DEN similarly increased the numbers and sizes of GST-P-positive lesions, but with a significantly greater degree than obtained by the diet administered only after DEN. In a dose response study, rats received vechicle or DEN, at a dose of 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, 20, 50, 100 or 200 mg/kg body weight, 1 week after the commencement of CSAA or CDAA diet, and sacrificed 8 weeks after vehicle or DEN. The significant increases of the numbers of GST-P-positive lesions were obtained after 50-200 mg/kg body weight of DEN under the CSAA diet administration, whereas those were detected after 10-200 mg/kg under CDAA diet administration. Sizes became significantly larger with only 200 mg/kg body weight of DEN in the CSAA case but with 50-200 mg/kg in the CDAA case. Male Wistar rats received a 1-week pre-administration of CSAA or CDAA diet, vehicle or BHP, at a dose of 600 or 1200 mg/kg body weight, by a single intraperitoneal injection, then CSAA or CDAA diet for 8 weeks, and were then sacrificed. The numbers of GST-P-positive lesions demonstrated significant increment with 1200 mg/kg body weight of BHP by CDAA diet administered only after BHP and, to a significantly greater degree, by the diet administered both before and after BHP. While CDAA diet administered only after BHP did not alter the sizes of GST-P-positive lesions, the diet administered both before and after 600 and 1200 mg/kg body weight of BHP significantly increased the sizes of the lesions. These results indicate that the pre- plus post-administration of CDAA diet enhances hepatocarcinogenesis initiated with DEN or BHP, more than the post-administration only, thus providing a sensitive model to detect weak liver carcinogenic potency of environmental chemicals.     

The sequential analysis of liver cell necrosis: inhibition of diethylnitrosamine- and dimethylnitrosamine-induced acute liver cell death by posttreatment with diethyldithiocarbamate.

Posttreatment with diethyldithiocarbamate (DEDTC) largely prevented the development of acute hepatocellular necrosis induced by diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) in male Fischer rats as monitored by the release of glutamate-pyruvate transaminase and sorbitol dehydrogenase into the serum and by histologic examination. Liver cell necrosis was evident with a dose of 25 mg of DEN/kg and was progressive with increasing doses of DEN. DEDTC (50 mg/kg; three times at 4-hour intervals) was given at 4 or 8 hours after the administration of DEN (100 mg/kg), time points at which at least 50% and 75%, respectively, of the administered DEN had disappeared from both the serum and liver. Under these conditions, DEDTC prevented liver cell necrosis, except for a few isolated cells. Similar inhibition was also observed when DEDTC was given 4 hours after the administration of a necrogenic dose of DMN (20 mg/kg). DEDTC, when administered 4 hours after DEN, delayed the rate of clearance of DEN and of ethylation of DNA and RNA but did not significantly affect the total extent of ethylation of rat liver nucleic acids. These results offer further support for the multistep hypothesis for the development of liver cell necrosis.     

The Anatomic Pathology Evaluation of Liver with Diethylinitrosamine Treated via Intraperitoneal Injection Singly and Peros for 90 Days Carcinogenicity Study in F344 Rats

Objective：To establish the integrity experiment method of short（ medium）- term carcinogenicity test pursuant to GLP, make into relative SOP and improve the safeguard in the center. Methods：Diethylinitrosamine（DEN） is known as carcinogenic agent, whose target organ is liver. Using the two-stage carcinogenesis test method, DEN was treated to F344 rats via intraperitoneal injection singly（200 mg/kg） , and peros administrated for 90 days（10 ppm）. The liver in any group rat will be examined by light microscopy. Results：In pathologic examination, no liver cell tumor was shown in the livers of the rats that were singly treated with a carcinogenic chemical-DEN. Foci of cellular alteration were observed in the livers of these rats. The proliferation lesions of liver from slight to seveity （foci of cellular aherationepatocelluar adenoma-hepatocellular carcinoma） were observed in the livers of the rats which exposed peros to a low dose of DEN for 90 days after initiation by a single intraperitoneal injection. The incidence of hepatocelluar tumor was 35% in male animal ,which was not shown in the liver of female rat. Conclusion：For current results, it may be possible that low-dose DEN acts as a promotor of hepatocelluar tumor if it was exposed in a population for a long time. It is considered that male hormone has a synergistic effect on hepatocelluar tumor development of DEN. This two-stage carcinogenesis test might be a new model for the study of drug induced and promoted carcinogenesis, which could be used to evaluate the carcinogenesis of chemical compound fast.     

Role of estrogens as promoters of hepatic neoplasia

The administration of estrogens to humans has been associated with the development of benign and possibly malignant hepatocellular neoplasms. This study was designed to investigate the mechanism of this association. We present a rat model that demonstrates that stilbestrol (DES) and ethinyl estradiol promote the development of hepatic neoplasms in rats previously initiated with diethylnitrosamine (DEN). Eighty male and 12 female Fischer-344 rats were given a single intraperitoneal injection of either DEN (200 mg. per kg. of body weight) or saline. Beginning 4 weeks after injection, the rats were given an estrogen or corn oil twice weekly for up to 50 weeks. Treatments were stopped at the time of sacrifice or 11 to 29 weeks prior to sacrifice. Estrogen treatments included high dose DES (5 mg. per dose), low dose DES (0.5 mg. per dose), and ethinyl estradiol (0.2 mg. per dose). Male and female rats given both DEN and high dose DES developed grossly visible hepatic hyperplastic nodules (mean, 9.1 per liver) after 20 weeks of DES. Nodules also developed if the onset of DES treatment was delayed until 28 weeks after initiation. Rats given DEN alone or DES alone did not develop nodules after 20 weeks. Microscopic hyperplastic foci also developed in rats given DEN plus DES, DES alone, and DEN alone. The foci in rats given DES alone were largely reversible on cessation of estrogen therapy. Mitotic activity in foci and nodules was prominent during estrogen therapy but declined markedly after cessation of therapy. Similar promoting activity of ethinyl estradiol was observed. Low dose DES was not effective in promoting tumor formation. The data indicate that estrogens promote hepatic neoplasia, perhaps by increasing hepatocyte mitotic activity and thereby facilitating the evolution of previously initiated cells into neoplastic clones. Comparison with human disease should be made with caution, especially because the estrogenic dose administered was approximately 200-fold the usual contraceptive dose in humans. However, the analogy between this model and the development of human oral contraceptive-associated hepatic tumors is evident. It is possible that some women have latent "initiated" cells that divide faster than the surrounding hepatocytes in response to estrogens.     

Sodium phenobarbital-enhanced mutation frequency in the liver DNM of lacz transgenic mice treated with diethylnitrosamine

To investigate how a carcinogenic promoter acts on cells mutatedby an initiator, we used as a model, lacZ transgenic mouse anda positive selection system. Preliminary data for the mutationalevents in liver DNA of the mice was generated using diethylnitrosamine(DEN) and sodium phenobarbital (S-PB) as initiator and promoter,respectively. In our first experiment, male Muta^TMice receiveda single i.p. injection of saline or 100 mg/kg DEN and werefed a normal diet for 7 days and 500 p.p.m. S-PB in the dietfor 21 days. Liver DNA was harvested after a 1 night fast ondays 7 and 28 post-DEN treatment. In our second experiment,male mice received a single i.p. injection of phosphate bufferedsaline or 50 mg/kg DEN and were fed a normal diet for 7 days,a diet with S-PB for 14 days and then a normal diet for 7 days.Liver DNA was harvested after a 1 night fast on days 7, 21 and28 post-DEN treatment. The S-PB diet enhancedabsolute and relativeliver weights in all groups. The single intraperitoneal doseof 50 or 100 mg/kg DEN induced high mutation frequencies (MF)in liver, lacZ genes on days 7, 21 and 28. There were no remarkabledifferences of the MF among any sampling days for animals receivingDEN and a normal diet. S-PB feeding at 500 p.p.m. for 21 daysfailed to affect the MF in groups given saline or 100 mg/kgDEN. On the other hand, when 50 mg/kg DEN was given, S-PB feedingat 500 p.p.m. for 14 days elevated the MF in liver DNA on days21 and 28 to –1.8 and 4.0 times the MF, respectively,ofthe mice fed the normal diet. Consequently, S-PB might preferentiallypromote certain initiated cells participating in a balance betweencell death and proliferation. ¹To whom correspondence should be addressed     

Possible model of liver carcinogenesis using inhibitors of NAD+ ADP ribosyl transferase in rats

The response of cellular NAD+ metabolism to DEN and/or ABA and the carcinogenesis of the liver initiated by DEN and ABA were studied in rats. The liver NAD+ level was depleted by an ip injection of 20 mg or 200 mg/kg body weight of DEN. ABA, administered ip at a dose of 600 mg/kg simultaneously with or 4 hours after DEN, prevented the depletion of NAD+ by DEN. These biochemical findings correlated with the changes of conspicuous intranuclear immunofluorescence of poly(ADP-ribose), which were studied by immunohistochemistry. When initiated by 20 mg/kg body weight DEN and 600 mg/kg ABA and then processed to selection pressure, the liver was found to be capable of developing hepatocellular carcinomas with or without PB promotion. These results suggest that the inhibition of poly(ADP-ribosylation) might lead to irreversible initiation of liver carcinogenesis by DEN in rats.     

Thresholds for the effects of 2-acetylaminofluorene in rat liver

To explore for practical thresholds for DNA-reactive carcinogens in rat liver carcinogenicity, we have conducted a series of exposure-response studies using 2 well-studied hepatocarcinogens, 2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF) and diethylnitrosamine (DEN). Findings with AAF, including as yet unpublished experiments, are reviewed here and related to DEN observations. In these studies, we have administered exact intragastric doses during an initiation segment (IS) of 12-16 weeks followed in some experiments by phenobarbital (PB) as a liver tumor promoter for 24 weeks to enhance manifestation of initiation. The cumulative doses (CD) of AAF at the end of ISs ranged from 0.094 to 282.2 mg/kg. Our findings for AAF in the IS can be summarized as follows: (1) the earliest parameter to be affected with administration of low doses was the appearance of DNA adducts (around 4 weeks), followed at higher doses by cell proliferation; (2) formation of DNA adducts was nonlinear, with a no-observed effect level (NOEL) at a CD of 0.094 mg/kg and a plateau at higher doses (94.1 mg/kg); (3) cytotoxicity (necrosis) showed a NOEL at a CD of 28.2 mg/kg; (4) compensatory hepatocellular proliferation showed a NOEL at a CD of 28.2 mg/kg and was supralinear at a high CD (282.2 mg/kg); (5) formation of preneoplastic hepatocellular altered foci (HAF) showed a NOEL at a CD of 28.2 mg/kg, and was supralinear at a high CD (282.2 mg/kg); (6) a NOEL (CD 28.2 mg/kg) was found for tumor development and the exposure-response was supralinear. We interpret these findings to reflect practical thresholds for hepatocellular initiating effects of AAF and exaggerated responses at high-exposures doses, as also found for DEN. Thus, mechanisms of carcinogenesis can differ between low and high doses.     

Rat hepatocarcinogenesis induced by N-nitrosodiethylamine and N-nitrosomorpholine continuously administered at low doses. From basophilic areas of hepatocytes to hepatocellular tumors.

The development of hepatocellular tumors was investigated with histological, histochemical, and morphometrical methods in male Sprague-Dawley rats continuously administered N-nitrosodiethylamine (DEN) or N-nitrosomorpholine (NNM) in the drinking water at low doses (0.5 mg DEN/100 ml; 1 mg NNM/100 ml). Groups of control, DEN-, and NNM-treated rats were investigated at 5-week intervals. Similar results were obtained in DEN- and NNM-treated rats. Two types of areas composed of basophilic or glycogenotic hepatocytes were observed preceding the appearance of hepatocellular adenomas and carcinomas. Besides their cytologic differences, the basophilic and glycogenotic areas induced displayed distinct histochemical features. Both types of areas were detected simultaneously and increased in parallel with time to a similar incidence, but basophilic areas reached larger sizes than the glycogenotic ones. Furthermore, each type of area, which clustered around and along efferent veins, was differently linked to tumorigenesis. Basophilic areas frequently developed into basophilic adenomas and trabecular carcinomas through a characteristic sequence. Early basophilic areas consisted of hepatocytes with lamellar cytoplasmic hyperbasophilia and exhibited the normal laminar liver structure. With time, an increasing number of basophilic areas also contained hepatocytes with powdered diffuse hyperbasophilia, which frequently were arranged in thick trabeculae, showed abundant mitotic figures, and invaded efferent veins. Neither such signs of malignancy nor conversion into basophilic areas or tumors could be established for areas of clear and acidophilic glycogenotic hepatocytes. However, a few small glycogenotic adenomas probably developed from glycogenotic areas. Our data thus underline the central role of basophilic areas for hepatocarcinogenesis. Moreover, taking into account the data from other experiments, it seems likely that although glycogenotic areas may be associated with the application of some carcinogens at high doses, they are not obligatory precursors of hepatocellular tumors.     

Changes in secondary structure of DNA of rat embryos following treatment with diethylnitrosamine and methylazoxymethanol acetate in vivo.

Diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) are not transplacental carcinogenic but embryotoxic to Wistar rats when administered by i.p. injection on day 12 of gestation. MAM, a weak teratogen to rats during this period, induced a dose dependent increase in the number of resorptions to 15% and 40% of the litters following doses of 15 and 25 mg/kg bw, respectively. Rats similarly treated with 70, 150, and 180 mg DEN/kg bw resulted in increases in total DNA mass of day 13 embryos by 31%, 45% and 52%, respectively, compared to the saline treated controls. Twenty percent reduction in total DNA amount was detected following 25 mg MAM/kg bw. Benzoylated DEAE-cellulose (BD-cellulose) chromatography fractionates DNA on the basis of secondary structure by stepwise elution of double-stranded DNA with 1.0M NaCl solution (SE-DNA) followed by elution of DNA containing single-stranded regions with caffeine solution (CE-DNA). Day 13 embryonic DNA was monitored by in vivo labelling with [methyl-3H]-thymidine (3H-TdR) on days 6 and 7 of gestation. Significant increases in percentages of caffeine-eluted DNA (%CE-DNA) compared to control values were detected 24 h after treatment of day 12 embryos with 70, 150, and 180 mg DEN/kg bw. Such increases were not observed after MAM. Incorporation of [methyl-14C]-thymidine (14C-TdR) into embryonic DNA demonstrated the effects of treatment with these compounds on DNA synthesis in vivo. When compared to saline controls, DEN induced significant increases in 14C-TdR incorporation into embryo DNA, 1 h prior to analysis, but the increases were not proportional to the doses administered. Similar analysis of MAM treated samples showed no significant changes to %CE-DNA values. The relative %CE-DNA is expressed as the ratio of the percentage of caffeine-eluted 14C-labelled DNA to %CE-DNA (i.e., %CE-14C-DNA:%CE-3H-DNA). In the majority of control embryos the 14C-specific activity of CE-DNA was higher than the 14C-specific activity of SE-DNA. No significant change to relative %CE-DNA values of embryos to those of the controls was observed 24 h after treatment of day 12 gestation rats with single doses of DEN and MAM. The results of this study support the hypothesis that initiation mechanisms of teratogenesis and transplacental carcinogenesis are different. The pertinence of %CE-DNA and relative %CE-DNA values to teratogenesis and transplacental carcinogenesis is also discussed.     

Evaluation of the Toxicological Profile of the Leaves and Young Twigs of Caesalpinia Bonduc (Linn) Roxb

Acute and sub-acute toxicological effects of ethanolic extract of the leaves and young twigs of Caesalpinia bonduc were carried out on albino rats. Single extract doses from 2000 to 5000 mg/kg body weight were administered orally and monitored for 14 days in acute study, while extract doses from 200 to 1600 mg/kg body weight were orally administered daily for 28 days in sub-acute study and recovery was assessed 14 days after dosing. Biochemical, haematological and histopathological examinations were carried out. There was no mortality in the experimental animals in all acute treatment doses. However, there were significant alterations in the biomarkers and induced cellular damage to the liver in all acute treatment doses. In the sub-acute toxicity treatment, the assessed biomarkers were unaffected at extract dose of 200 mg/kg body weight compared to control, while significant changes were observed in rats administered with extract doses of 400 mg/kg body weight and above. No significant difference was observed between the tested groups and the recovery groups in the sub-acute toxicity study. In conclusion, the ethanolic extract of C. bonduc could be toxic to selected organs of the rat body in acute and sub-acute treatments.     

Alpha-fetoprotein: Cellular origin of a biological marker in rat liver under various experimental conditions

Summary Alpha₁-fetoprotein (AFP) was detected by serological, light and electron microscopic methods in various experimental models. These included (a) liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy or CCl₄ intoxication (mouse and rat); (b) liver intoxication by high doses of N-nitrosomorpholine (NNM) and chemical induction of hepatomas (rat). AFP levels varied greatly according to the animal species and strains used. Low and high AFP-producing species and strains were distinguished. In liver regeneration after hepatectomy or CCl₄ intoxication, cellular AFP was found in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes. In NNM-intoxicated livers, elevated AFP levels were associated with proliferation of canalicular epithelial cells in which AFP was localized. In early stages of hepatocarcinogenesis, significant AFP increase occurred after high-dose carcinogen feeding and AFP was also localized in proliferating canalicular epithelial cells. On low-dose NNM feeding, no cellular AFP was detected unless hepatomas had developed. At the stage of malignant conversion, distinct AFP staining and non-AFP staining hepatocellular carcinomas appeared in livers.     

Experimental Hepatocarcinogenesis in Rat and Cellular Detection of Alpha1-fetoprotein by Use of Peroxidase Conjugates

Hepatomas were induced in rats by feeding low doses (6 mg/kg) or high doses (20 mg/kg) of N-nitrosomorpholine (NNM) for 12 and 6 weeks respectively. Necroses of adult hepatocytes and proliferation of oval-shaped cells occurred only at high doses of NNM. In parallel, early reappearance of alpha₁-fetoprotein (AFP) in sera was observed in rats which were fed high doses of NNM. At this time, AFP was detected in oval-shaped cells by means of immunoperoxidase staining techniques. Both NNM feeding schedules (low and high doses) resulted in development of hepatomas. At this stage of hepatocarcinogenesis, AFP staining nodules were seen concomitantly with non AFP staining nodules in the same animal. AFP staining cells were populations of distinct neoplastic hepatocytes with a certain degree of retrodifferentiation. Pulse-chase experiments have shown the highly proliferative character of carcinoma cells from which the AFP staining population was the most proliferating one.     

A histological study of the promotive effect of diethylstilbestrol on diethylnitrosamine initiated carcinogenesis of liver in rat

A single dose (80 mg/kg) of diethylnitrosamine (DEN) was given orally to castrated female Wistar rats. One week after that one half of the animals were treated with diethylstilbestrol (DES) 3 mg/kg/once a week subcutaneously. The other half of the animals received no any hormone or hormone derivatives. The change of the liver cells in animals treated with DEN alone failed to progress beyond the stage of hepatocellular alterations in foci or neoplastic nodules within 8 months, while most of those animals which received DES treatment after DEN initiation developed hepatocellular carcinomas after 6 months. This result denotes that the DES exerts a definite promotive effect on DEN initiated liver cell carcinogenesis.     

Twenty-six-Week carcinogenicity study of chloroform in CB6F1 rasH2-transgenic mice

The carcinogenic potential of chloroform was evaluated in a short-term carcinogenicity testing system using CB6F1 rasH2-Tg (rasH2-Tg) mice. Chloroform was administered to rasH2-Tg males at doses of 28, 90, or 140 mg/kg and rasH2-Tg females at 24, 90, or 240 mg/kg by oral gavage for 26 weeks. Wild-type (non-Tg) male and female mice received doses of 140 mg/kg and 240 mg/kg, respectively. N-methyl-N-nitrosourea was administered to rasH2-Tg mice by single intraperitoneal injection (75 mg/kg) as a positive control. In both the rasH2-Tg and non-Tg mice, there was no significant increase in the incidence of neoplastic lesions by chloroform treatment. The incidence of hepatocellular foci in the rasH2- and non-Tg females receiving 240 mg/kg was increased. Forestomach tumors and malignant tumors occurred in most of the rasH2-mice in the positive control group. Swelling or vacuolation of hepatocytes, a toxic change induced by chloroform, occurred in both the rasH2-Tg and non-Tg mice. It is concluded that chloroform, a putative human noncarcinogen, did not show evidence of carcinogenic potential in the present study using rasH2-Tg mice. This study suggests that the rasH2-Tg mouse model may not be appropriate for detecting nongenotoxic carcinogens. However, the sensitivity of rasH2-Tg mice to nongenotoxic carcinogens should be assessed with consideration of the results from the other ILSI-HESI project studies.     

Comparison of hprt and lacI mutant frequency with DNA adduct formation in N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene-treated Big Blue rats

N-Hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene (N-OH-AAF) is the proximate carcinogenic metabolite of the powerful rat liver carcinogen 2-acetylaminofluorene. In this study, transgenic Big Blue(R) rats were used to examine the relationship between in vivo mutagenicity and DNA adduct formation by N-OH-AAF in the target liver compared with that in nontarget tissues. Male rats were given one, two, or four doses of 25 mg N-OH-AAF/kg body weight by i.p. injection at 4-day intervals, and groups of treated and control rats were euthanized up to 10 weeks after beginning the dosing. Mutant frequencies were measured in the spleen lymphocyte hprt gene, and lacI mutant frequencies were determined in the liver and spleen lymphocytes. At 6 weeks after beginning the dosing, the hprt mutant frequency in spleen lymphocytes from the four-dose group was 16.5 x 10(-6) compared with 3.2 x 10(-6) in control animals. Also at 6 weeks, rats given one, two, or four doses of N-OH-AAF had lacI mutant frequencies in the liver of 97.6, 155.6, and 406.8 x 10(-6), respectively, compared with a control frequency of 25.7 x 10(-6); rats given four doses had lacI mutant frequencies in spleen lymphocytes of 55.8 x 10(-6) compared with a control frequency of 20.4 x 10(-6). Additional rats were evaluated for DNA adduct formation in the liver, spleen lymphocytes, and bone marrow by (32)P-postlabeling. Adduct analysis was conducted 1 day after one, two, and four treatments with N-OH-AAF, 5 days after one treatment, and 9 days after two treatments. N-(Deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-aminofluorene was the major DNA adduct identified in all the tissues examined. Adduct concentrations increased with total dose to maximum values in samples taken 1 day after two doses, and remained essentially the same after four doses. In samples taken after four doses, adduct levels were 103, 28, and 7 fmol/microg of DNA in liver, spleen lymphocytes, and bone marrow, respectively. The results indicate that the extent of both DNA adduct formation and mutant induction correlates with the organ specificity for N-OH-AAF carcinogenesis in the rat. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 37:195-202, 2001. Published 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

大鼠再生肝对二乙基亚硝胺启动作用的敏感性

目的比较再生肝和正常肝对二乙基亚硝胺（ＤＥＮ）启动作用的敏感性。方法以２／３肝叶切除后８周末的大鼠为实验组,正常大鼠为对照组,作如下比较：肝重、常规组织学检查及３Ｈ－ＴｄＲ掺入试验;用修改的Ｓｏｌｔ－Ｆａｒｂｅｒ模型,通过对ＧＧＴ阳性癌前病灶的体视学测量,观察肝脏对ＤＥＮ的启动效应;在体内和体外（无血清原代培养肝细胞）经ＤＥＮ攻击后,以核酸原位缺口标记方法观察肝细胞ＤＮＡ的损伤程度。结果２／３肝叶切除后８周末的实验组肝脏的修复过程已完成,未见肝细胞继续增生的表现;经ＤＥＮ攻击后,实验组肝癌前病灶在数密度和体积密度上都显著高于对照组;无论在体内或体外接受ＤＥＮ攻击后,实验组肝细胞ＤＮＡ的损伤程度都显著大于对照组。结论即使再生过程已经完成,再生肝仍比正常肝具有较高的致癌敏感性,这与再生肝肝细胞在ＤＥＮ攻击后其ＤＮＡ损伤较重相关。     

Tomato oleoresin inhibits DNA damage but not diethylnitrosamine-induced rat hepatocarcinogenesis

Various studies have shown that lycopene, a non-provitamin A carotenoid, exerts antioxidant, antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic activities in different in vitro and in vivo systems. However, the results concerning its chemopreventive potential on rat hepatocarcinogenesis are ambiguous. The aim of the present study was to investigate the antigenotoxic and anticarcinogenic effects of dietary tomato oleoresin adjusted to lycopene concentration at 30, 100 or 300 ppm (administered 2 weeks before and during or 8 weeks after carcinogen exposure) on liver of male Wistar rats treated with a single intraperitoneal dose of 20 or 100mg/kg of diethylnitrosamine (DEN), respectively. The level of DNA damage in liver cells and the development of putative preneoplastic single hepatocytes, minifoci and foci of altered hepatocytes (FHA) positive for glutathione S-transferase (GST-P) were used as endpoints. Significant reduction of DNA damage was detected when the highest lycopene concentration was administered before and during the DEN exposure (20mg/kg). However, the results also showed that lycopene consumption did not reduce cell proliferation in normal hepatocytes or the growth of initiated hepatocytes into minifoci positive for GST-P during early regenerative response after 70% partial hepatectomy, or the number and area of GST-P positive FHA induced by DEN (100mg/kg) at the end of week 10. Taken together, the data suggest a chemopreventive effect of tomato oleoresin against DNA damage induced by DEN but no clear effectiveness in initiating or promoting phases of rat hepatocarcinogenesis.     

Histochemical evidence that plasma and mitochondrial membranes are primary foci of hepatocellular injury caused by 1,1-dichloroethylene

Functional integrity of liver cell organelles in rats given the model abrupt cytotoxin 1,1-dichloroethylene (1,1-DCE) was examined by enzymatic histochemistry. Fasted 200-gm. male Sprague-Dawley rats were sacrificed 1, 2, 4, or 6 hours after an oral dose of 200 mg. of 1,1-DCE per kg. (in mineral oil) and 6 hours after 50, 100, or 150 mg. of 1,1-DCE per kg. Cubes of liver were quick frozen for histochemistry. Stage or degree of liver injury was assessed by histology and by measuring serum transaminase activities and liver ion levels. We found both early injury (2 hours following the 200-mg. per kg. dose) and slight injury (6 hours following the 50-mg. per kg. dose) characterized by: increases in liver sodium levels and striking decreases in the central area staining patterns of bile canaliculi membrane Mg++-ATPase, as well as of outer mitochondrial membrane monoamine oxidase and inner mitochondrial membrane succinate dehydrogenase and cytochrome oxidase. As injury progressed with time or increased in severity with dose, aberrations in the levels of other liver cell ions occurred, serum transaminase activities rose, and decreased staining of plasma membrane and mitochondrial membrane components were evident in progressively wider areas around the central vein. Glutathione depletion was panlobular. In contrast, only at later times (4 and 6 hours) and after the larger doses did alterations to functional components of the mitochondrial matrix, endoplasmic reticulum, lysosomes, and cytosol become evident in a narrow area around the central vein, which became necrotic. We consider these later appearing alterations secondary consequences of the midzonal necrosis and sinusoidal congestion produced by 1,1-DCE, whereas the plasma membranes and mitochondrial membranes appear to be primary foci of injury.     

Detection by dual color fluorescence in situ hybridization of in vivo chromosome damage in rat hepatocyte nuclei

Our previous study using a multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique revealed that region-specific DNA probes for rat chromosome 1 enabled the detection of structural chromosome damage in rat interphase nuclei from peripheral blood and bone marrow cells. In the present study, this FISH technique was modified for application to a non-hematopoietic organ (liver) and the usefulness of the system was tested using diethylnitrosamine (DEN) as a model hepatocarcinogen. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were orally treated once with DEN at 200 mg/kg. Their livers were removed at 4, 7 or 14 days after treatment and homogenized with a tissue grinder to isolate hepatocyte nuclei. The nucleus suspension was fixed in methanol:acetic acid and air dried. Dual color FISH with two probes, one labeled with tetramethylrhodamine and one with digoxigenin, demonstrated that the maximum increase in the frequency of nuclei with spatially abnormal signals was observed 7 days after treatment. A dose-response relationship for induction of abnormal nuclei was observed. This improved dual color FISH system is potentially valuable for assessing in vivo clastogenicity in all rat organs.     

CI Solvent Yellow 14 shows activity in the bone marrow micronudeus assay in both the rat and mouse

CI Solvent Yellow 14 has been reported to be carcinogenic inthe rat, inducing neoplastic liver nodules, but noncarcinogenicin the mouse. The present experiments have extended previouslyreported investigations on the activity of CI Solvent Yellow14 in in vivo genotoxicity assays. CI Solvent Yellow 14 hasbeen examined for genotoxicity in vivo in the bone marrow micronudeusassay in both the rat and the mouse, and in the rat liver unscheduledDNA synthesis (DNA repair) assay, to limit doses of 5000 and2000 mg/kg respectively, by oral gavage. CI Solvent Yellow 14showed evidence of clastogenic activity in both the rat andmouse bone marrow (clear effect in the rat; weak effect in themouse), but no evidence of DNA repair in the rat liver. In viewof the latter finding, the contribution, if any, of the genotoxicityexpressed by the micronucleus assay to the formation of livernodules on chronic administration of the compound, is unclear. ³To whom correspondence should be addressed