Quantitative stereological analysis of the effects of age and sex on multistage hepatocarcinogenesis in the rat by use of four cytochemical markers

Altered hepatic foci (AHF) were analyzed by quantitative stereology on frozen serial sections stained sequentially for gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT), canalicular adenosine triphosphate (ATPase), glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase), and the placental isoenzyme of glutathione S-transferase (GST). Livers for these analyses were obtained from both male and female rats of different ages which had been subjected to initiation with a nonnecrogenic dose of diethylnitrosamine following a 70% partial hepatectomy with subsequent phenobarbital (PB) feeding. Different combinations of these four marker alterations (from single marker to four-marker combinations) were used to analyze the data, and the results were compared for their ability to detect AHF. In rats on the above protocol, GST was the single most effective marker, exhibiting a high sensitivity for scoring both number and volume of foci. There was a high degree of overlap with GGT. The combination of the four different markers, GST/GGT/ATPase/G6Pase, scored 80% more foci in number and 60% more in volume than the routinely used GGT/ATPase/G6Pase method. When all four markers were used to score AHF, PB promotion was equally effective in both sexes at weaning and at 6 months of age, but at 1 year of age males showed a dramatic reduction in the effectiveness of PB as a promoting agent, both for number and volume percentage of liver occupied by AHF. On the other hand, initiation was more effective in the male at weaning and at 6 months of age, although by the 12-month point no distinction between the sexes could be made. When only GGT was used as a marker, promotion by PB appeared to be markedly less effective in males than in females at all ages. In the absence of PB administration, both the number and volume fraction of AHF in the livers of both males and female increased with age. Likewise, both the number of AHF per liver and their volume fractions increased with age in both sexes when uninitiated animals were fed PB, although only after a 6-month lag in females. These experiments demonstrate that the stages of initiation and promotion in hepatocarcinogenesis in the rat as monitored by the number and volume percentage occupied of AHF are altered by both the age and the sex of the animal. The combination of GGT and GST identified all AHF scored by the GST/GGT/ATPase/G6Pase set of markers and thus may be the most efficient combination of markers of AHF resulting from promotion by PB.     

Quantitative stereologic study of the effects of varying the time between initiation and promotion on four histochemical markers in rat liver during hepatocarcinogenesis

The effects of varying the interval of time between initiation with diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and promotion by phenobarbital (PB) on the development of altered hepatic foci (AHF) and hepatomas in female Fischer 344 rats was investigated. The intervals between DEN initiation after a 70% partial hepatectomy and a subsequent 6 month period of promotion by feeding of PB were 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 2 months, 6 months and 11 months. The number and volume percentage occupied by AHF were determined by quantitative stereologic methods on serial frozen sections stained for the markers gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT), canalicular adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase), glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) and the placental form of glutathione S-transferase (GST-pi). The number of AHF was greatest when the initiation-promotion interval was only 1 day, and there was a tendency for the number of AHF to decrease as the interval between initiation with DEN and the start of PB promotion was extended. An 11 month delay between initiation and promotion resulted in only 20% fewer AHF than when promotion was begun 1 day after initiation. On the other hand, the volume percentage fraction of AHF did not change when the initiation-promotion interval was increased from 1 day to 2 months. An interval of 6 months roughly doubled the volume percentage fraction, but an interval of 11 months led to a 7- to 8-fold increase in the volume percentage of AHF over that from a 1 day interval. The phenotypic distribution of AHF was significantly lower in relation to certain markers, especially GGT and GST-pi, in those animals only initiated with DEN compared with those initiated with DEN and promoted with PB. When no exogenous promotion was given, there was still a nearly linear increase in both the number and volume percentage occupied by AHF in the liver of rats initiated with DEN. On the other hand, rats subjected to a 1 week interval between DEN initiation and PB promotion exhibited the greatest number of hepatocellular carcinomas 14 months after initiation, compared with other groups. These studies demonstrated a gradually decreasing effectiveness of PB as a promoting agent to stimulate the growth of all AHF initiated by DEN as the interval between initiation and promotion was extended.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Quantitative analysis of enzyme-altered foci in rat hepatocarcinogenesis experiments--I. Single agent regimen

Considerable recent attention has focused on the quantitativeanalysis of enzyme-altered foci in rodent hepatocarcinogenesisexperiments. These foci are believed to represent clones premalignantcells. A method is presented for the quantitative analysis ofthese foci that takes into account both the total number offocal transections observed in each liver crosssection and thesize distribution of these transections. The method, which hasa natural interpretation within the framework of a two-mutationmodel for carcinogenesis, yields estimates of rates of initiationand of growth rates of enzyme-altered foci as functions of doseof the agent under consideration. Definitions of initiationand promotion potencies are proposed. The method is illustratedby application to an experiment in which rats were administeredN-nitroso morpholine at various concentrations in their drinkingwater.     

Ploidy and karyotype of hepatocytes isolated from enzyme-altered foci in two different protocols of multistage hepatocarcinogenesis in the rat

The ploidy and karyotypes of hepatocytes isolated from the livers of rats subjected to the protocols of Peraino et al. and of Solt and Farber were determined by the examination of such cells in primary culture. A study of 100 or more metaphases from each of five rats on each protocol revealed that 75-80% of gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase-positive (GGT+) hepatocytes isolated from livers of rats in either protocol were diploid, whereas only 23-33% of GGT- cells were diploid. Fifty percent or more of the karyotypes of hepatocytes from livers of rats receiving the Solt-Farber protocol exhibited one or more chromosomal breaks, whereas hepatocytes from livers of rats subjected to the Peraino protocol showed no increase in chromosomal breakage over that in normal controls. These studies demonstrate that the majority of GGT+ cells from altered hepatic foci are diploid and that the greater toxicity of the Solt-Farber protocol over that of Peraino is correlated with marked chromosomal breakage of GGT+ hepatocytes.     

The quantitative analysis and stability of histochemical markers of altered hepatic foci in rat liver following initiation by diethylnitrosamine administration and promotion with phenobarbital

The stability and response of histochemical phenotypes of altered hepatic foci (AHF) were studied both in the presence and following the withdrawal of 0.05% phenobarbital (PB) treatment in rats previously given a single dose of diethylnitrosamine (DEN) 20-24 h following partial hepatectomy (PH). AHF were scored by their expression of three biochemical markers: gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), adenosine triphosphatase and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6P). AHF demonstrated significant heterogeneity with respect to the marker alterations. The use of three markers in the present study confirmed the findings of our earlier study, which showed the maximal response of GGT+ AHF to PB administration following PH/DEN initiation and the stability of GGT+/AHF induced by the PH/DEN/PB regimen after the withdrawal of PB. In the regimen employed, the GGT marker alone scored the great majority of the AHF detected by all three markers. The frequency distribution of histochemical phenotypes remained relatively constant in AHF during continuous PB administration and in AHF promoted by PB followed by a 6-month period of feeding a diet containing no PB. These findings suggest that individual AHF remain phenotypically stable throughout the PB promotion phase, i.e., do not progress from one phenotype to another. In every marker class, the mean volume of AHF increased during continuous PB administration. These data illustrate the enhancing effect of PB on the growth of the AHF. The size of AHF continued to increase following the withdrawal of PB in the 3-month PB treatment group, but not in the animals treated for 4 months. A mechanism that may account for the differences in these two treatment groups is discussed.     

Incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine in glutathione S-transferase-positive hepatocytes during rat multistage hepatocarcinogenesis

Cell proliferation is pivotal to all stages of the carcinogenesisprocess and is one of the primary characteristics of the promotionstage of cancer development. Both a two-stage model of initiationand promotion for analysis of early preneoplasia and a three-stageinitiation-promotion-progression model of hepatocarcinogenesiswere used to address the effect of the liver tumor-promotingagent phenobarbital (PB) on hepatic cellular proliferation.Male rats were subjected to a 70% partial hepatectomy and 10mg diethyInitrosamine (DEN)/kg or the solvent alone and wereadministered PB for 4–8 months. Analysis of bromodeoxyuridine(BrdU) incorporation (1 h pulse) in liver within (focal) andnot with in (non-focal) altered hepatic foci (AHF) demonstrateda labeling index in AHF of 2% in DEN-initiated rats; the non-focallabeling index of placental glutathione S-transferase expressinghepatocytes was 0.3–0.6%. The focal labeling index wasconstant over the 8 month period of promotion. Inasmuch as onecharacteristic of promotion is the reversibility of the inducedeffects on clonal expansion of initiated cells, groups of ratsinitially promoted with PB were maintained in the absence ofcontinued promotion for 4 or 8 months prior to being killed.Assessment of the focal labeling index after cessation of PBtreatment indicated a drop in the index from 2.3% to 0.7%. Whena progressor agent, ethylnitrosourea, was given at the timePB was discontinued for 4 or 8 months, a significant changein focal labeling index was not observed relative to the indexin AHF when the animals were killed immediately after 8 monthsof PB promotion. Thus, cell proliferation plays an integralrole in both the promotion and progression stages of multistagerat hepatocarcinogenesis and is influenced by administrationof promoting and progressor agents.     

Aneuploidy and progression in promoted preneoplastic foci during chemical hepatocarcinogenesis in the rat.

Since a number of rat hepatocarcinomas are aneuploid, the model DNA content of enzyme-altered foci was determined cytospectrophotometrically, to assess if ploidy changes occur before cancer is established. Male F344 rats treated with diethylnitrosamine and promoted with a choline-deficient, phenobarbital supplemented diet showed in most enzyme-altered foci a multimodal ploidy distribution with diploid, tetraploid and octoploid peaks. A minority of foci, however, exhibited an aneuploid pattern. This change in ploidy reflects irreversible genomic alterations, indicative of tumor progression. Thus, promotion and progression may coexist simultaneously in this model of carcinogenesis, long before hepatomas can be diagnosed.     

Quantitative stereological studies of a 'selection' protocol of hepatocarcinogenesis following initiation in neonatal male and female rats

A modified initiation-selection procedure for neonatal male and female rat hepatocarcinogenesis were examined utilizing the methods of quantitative stereology. In this study, diethylnitrosamine (10 mg DEN/kg) was given a few days after birth. At weaning, the rats were fed 0.02% 2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF) for 2 weeks with a mitotic stimulus [70% partial hepatectomy (PH)] after 1 week on the diet. Quantitative stereological analyses in conjunction with the use of several enzyme markers were used to determine the number and volume of altered hepatic foci (AHF) detected at 1 week, 3 months and 7 months after the selection procedure. This format resulted in an equivalent number of AHF in male and female rats. The AHF were three times larger in males than in females 1 week after discontinuation of AAF administration. Three months after the selection procedure, the number of AHF had decreased by at least a third and their volume percentage was the same in male and female rats. After 7 months, the number and volume fraction of detectable AHF in females were comparable to those which had been observed at 1 week after selection. In the male, the number but not the volume fraction were similar at 7 months compared with 1 week after selection. Both initiation with DEN and selection with AAF/PH contribute independently to the total population of AHF in male and female rats. At least half of the AHF detected 7 months after the selection protocol were due to DEN administration alone. Rats receiving only the AAF/PH selection exhibited one third of the number of AHF observed with the complete protocol. Administration of a non-necrogenic dose of DEN to neonatal rats when coupled with the AAF/PH selection procedure resulted in a significant promotion of the growth of initiated hepatocytes at 1 week, 3 months or 7 months after the selection procedure. These studies demonstrated that (i) the number of AHF detected after a non-necrogenic dose of DEN during the first week of life with subsequent AAF/PH selection after weaning decreases within the first 3 months after the selection procedure, but can re-develop with a promotion stimulus; (ii) the AAF/PH selection procedure itself may initiate hepatocytes in the absence of DEN administration; (iii) the AAF/PH selection procedure is equally effective with respect to the number of AHF observed after phenobarbital promotion in weaning male and female rats initiated near birth.      

Ovariectomy promotes the growth of altered hepatic foci after withdrawal and reintroduction of phenobarbital during hepatocarcinogenesis in rats.

Female F344/N rats were given 70% partial hepatectomies and intubated with diethyl-nitrosamine (DEN, 10 mg/kg) 24 hours later. They were fed a cereal-based diet, NIH-07 (NIH) + 0.05% phenobarbital (PB) for 6 months, at which time NIH + PB was withdrawn and the rats were ovariectomized (OV) or sham-operated (SH). Groups of 7-10 rats were fed a semipurified diet (AIN-76) for 1 or 2 months after withdrawal of NIH + PB, or NIH + PB for 2 months, or AIN-76 diet for 1 month and subsequently NIH + PB for 1 month. Placental glutathione S-transferase (PGST)- and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT)-positive (+) altered hepatic foci (AHF) were analysed by quantitative stereology. Ovariectomy stimulated growth of AHF after withdrawal and reintroduction of NIH + PB. AHF, especially PGST+ AHF, continued to regress throughout the PB withdrawal period in rats fed AIN-76 diet. In most studies of chemical hepatocarcinogenesis, females have been shown to develop a greater volume of AHF than males. In our study, however, ovariectomy stimulated the growth of AHF after withdrawal and reintroduction of PB. Because AHF occurring spontaneously in male rats develop more rapidly than in female rats, the greater rate of growth of AHF in OV female rats may reflect a similar mechanism.     

Pyruvate kinase isoenzymes in altered foci and carcinoma of rat liver

Pyruvate kinase (PK) isoenzymes, rate limiting for the laststeps of glycolysis, were studied in normal rat liver, putativepreneoplastic foci, neoplastic nodules and hepatocellular carcinoma.These lesions were produced by an initiation-promotion protocol:treatment with a single dose of N-nitrosomorpholine (NNM) wasfollowed by feeding diets containing phenobarbital (PB) or -hexachlorocyclohexane(-HCH), or basal diet. PK was demonstrated (i) by immunocytochemistryon histological sections with antibodies specifically directedagainst the L and M₂ isoenzymes, (ii) by electrophoretic separationof isoenzymes in homogenates from liver and larger tumors, and(iii) by electrophoretic separation of isoenzymes in parenchymaland stromal cells isolated from liver and tumors. Immunocytochemistryshowed decreases of L-PK (L-PK-) in hepatocytes of most of thefoci, nodules and carcinomas. Most L-PK-foci showed increasesin -glutamyltransferase (-GT) and epoxide hydrolase (EH). PBor -HCH treatment further decreased expression of L-PK in foci,but not in normal liver. Cells and foci with enhanced L-PK (L-PK⁺)were also found after carcinogen treatment. These did not showincreases of -GT or EH or any distinct morphological alterationswith the exception of some which were basophilic (‘tigroid’)in H and E stained sections. No L-PK⁺ tumors were found. Wecould not demonstrate the M₂-type PK in parenchymal cells ofliver or any of the lesions described above. This isoenzymewas restricted to stromal cells in normal rat liver and in allstages of carcinogenesis as shown by immunohistology and byelectrophoresis of preparations from isolated cell populations.However, stromal cells from hepatocellular carcinomas exhibiteda 3-fold increase of M₂-PK compared with stromal cells fromnormal liver. These results do not support an isoenzyme shiftfrom L to M₂-PK in the course of malignant transformation ofhepatocytes as suggested previously.     

Suppression of glutathione S-transferase placental form-positive foci development in rat hepatocarcinogenesis by Chlorella pyrenoidosa

The modifying effects of dietary administration of dried Chlorella pyrenoidosa powder (C. pyrenoidosa) on the development of glutathione S-transferase placental form-positive foci (GST-P-positive foci), which are putative preneoplastic lesions, in male F344 rats were investigated using a medium-term liver bioassay system. In rats given 10% C. pyrenoidosa in a basal diet, the number and area of GST-P-positive foci in the rat livers, which diethylnitrosamine (DEN) initiated and 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f] quinoxaline (MeIQx) promoted, were significantly decreased compared with those fed a basal diet not containing C. pyrenoidosa. The inhibition percentage of the number and area of GST-P-positive foci > or =0.2 mm in diameter was 67.6 and 74.2%, respectively (p<0.01). Furthermore, C. pyrenoidosa significantly decreased the number of GST-P-positive foci induced by MeIQx alone. The inhibition percentage of the number of GST-P-positive foci <0.2 mm in diameter was 52% (p<0.01). These results suggest that C. pyrenoidosa has chemopreventive effects against hepatocarcinogenesis in rats. C. pyrenoidosa appears to be a promising chemopreventive agent for human liver neoplasia and carcinogenesis induced by heterocyclic amines such as MeIQx.     

Sexual difference in the histochemical characteristics of "altered cell foci" in the liver of aged Fischer 344 rats

The distributions of gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and the placental form of glutathione S-transferase (GSTP) were examined in the livers of 18-month-old and 23-month-old SPF F344/DuCrj rats of both sexes. The number of the enzyme-altered foci in males was greater than in females, and it increased with age in animals of both sexes. Histologically, most of the foci in males consisted of eosinophilic or clear hepatocytes, while those in females were predominantly basophilic. More than 75% of the foci in males stained positively for GGT and GSTP. In contrast, more than 80% of the foci in females were GGT- and GSTP-negative. Thus, though both enzymes have been widely used for analysis of carcinogen-induced hepatocarcinogenesis, it appears that GGT and GSTP are inappropriate as markers of preneoplastic lesions in natural hepatocarcinogenesis in female rats.     

Overexpression of cyclase-associated protein 2 in multistage hepatocarcinogenesis.

PURPOSE: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) associated with chronic liver disease is known to show an obvious multistage process of tumor progression. We previously identified heat shock protein 70 as a molecular marker of early HCC during investigation of expression profiling in multistage hepatocarcinogenesis. In this report, we examined cyclase-associated protein 2 (CAP2), which is also listed as an up-regulated gene in early HCC. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We measured the level of CAP2 mRNA by real-time quantitative PCR. We raised a polyclonal antibody against CAP2 and we confirmed the expression of CAP2 by immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry in HCC cell lines and HCC tissues. RESULTS: According to real-time quantitative PCR, the level of CAP2 mRNA was up-regulated in early HCC when compared with noncancerous liver tissue, and it was further up-regulated in progressed HCC. We raised a polyclonal antibody against CAP2, which showed a single 53-kDa band of strong intensity in the human HCC cell lines and HCC tissues but only a weak band in the noncancerous liver tissues in Western blot analysis. Immunohistochemical examination of CAP2 revealed its significant overexpression in early HCC when compared with noncancerous and precancerous lesions and in progressed HCC when compared with early HCC. CONCLUSION: Our findings show that CAP2 is up-regulated in HCC when compared with noncancerous and precancerous lesions. This is the first report that proves that CAP2 is up-regulated in human cancers and that this is possibly related to multistage hepatocarcinogenesis.     

The effect of tamoxifen and two of its non-isomerizable fixed-ring analogs on multistage rat hepatocarcinogenesis

Long-term treatment of breast cancer patients with tamoxifenhas prompted concern over potential toxicity of this drug withchronic administration. Since tamoxifen has estrogenic actionin the rat liver and estrogenic agents can increase hepatomaincidence in rats, tamoxifen and two non-isomerizable, fixed-ringanalogs (FRT1 and FRT2) were evaluated as promoting agents ina two-stage model of hepatocarcinogenesis in female FischerF344 rats. The rats were subjected to 70% partial hepatectomyand half of the animals were administered the initiating agent,diethylnitrosamine (DEN; 10 mg/kg body wt), while the otherhalf were not initiated. Groups of initiated and uninitiatedanimals were allowed to recover for 2 weeks and were then administeredtamoxifen or one of the fixed-ring analogs admixed into AIN-76Adiet at 25, 100 or 250 mg/kg diet. After 6 months of anti-estrogenadministration the rats were sacrificed and uterine weights,blood levels of anti-estrogen, and liver histopathology wereassessed. Uterine weights were decreased 2- to 3-fold by eachof the agents, consistent with an anti-estrogenic action inthe rat. The serum levels in rats administered 250 mg anti-estrogen/kg diet for 6 months were 320 ± 20 ng/ml for tamoxifen,320 ± 10 for FRT1 and 350 ± 20 for FRT2. The liverlevels after a 6 month administration of 250 mg antiestrogen/kgdiet were 13 870 ± 860 ng/g for tamoxifen, 13 300 ±860 for FRT1 and 26 900 ± 1900 for FRT2. A dose-dependentincrease in serum and liver level of each compound was notedwhen measured at the 6 month time point. The number and percentageof the liver occupied by altered hepatic foci (AHF) were determinedby quantitative stereology. A dose-dependent increase aboveinitiated controls was observed in the initiated, tamoxifen-treatedrats. Both fixed-ring analogs also increased the number andsize of AHF compared with initiated controls, but were lesspotent than tamoxifen, suggesting that tamoxifen has an intrinsicpromoting action in the liver that is independent of its abilityto isomerize to more potent estrogenic compounds. In addition,the fixed-ring analogs have a weaker promoting activity in therat liver than does tamoxifen. This may be due to pharmacokineticdifferences at the lower two doses, but it is independent ofachieved serum level at the highest dose and hence may reflectdifferences in intrinsic activity of these compounds. Thus tamoxifenand the two fixed-ring analogs promote the development of rathepatocarcinogenesis.     

Nuclear DNA content of altered hepatic foci in a rat liver carcinogenesis model

In individual altered hepatic foci (AHF), aneuploidy occurs before malignant changes can be diagnosed histologically (O. Sudilovsky and T. K. Hei. Fed. Proc., 42:2225, 1983). In the current experiments Sprague-Dawley rats of both sexes were given i.p. injections of diethylnitrosamine (50 mg/kg body weight) 18 h after partial hepatectomy and were given a choline-sufficient diet (CS) for 1 wk. Four treatment groups were then formed and fed CS, CS containing 0.05% phenobarbital (PHB), choline-deficient diet (CD), and CD with 0.05% PHB. An extra female group received infusions of saline after the hepatectomy and fared CD. Control animals were partially hepatectomized, inoculated i.p. with saline, and placed on CS. The rats were sacrificed 16 wk later, liver sections were stained with a combined Feulgen-gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase stain, and the DNA content of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-positive foci was measured cytospectrophotometrically. There were no AHF in the control animals. Hepatocytes from control livers and cells adjacent to foci in treated livers had peaks corresponding to the 2C, 4C, and 8C range. In AHF the ploidy, however, was predominantly diploid, tetraploid, or heterogeneous. The ratio of diploid to tetraploid cells in foci of rats provided with CS + PHB was 5.5 and in those supplied with CD + PHB was 0.09. This suggested that dietary manipulations change the nuclear DNA distribution of AHF. Aneuploidy was also present, as expected, in 4 of 33 AHF in the animals placed on CD + PHB. It was observed as well in 2 of 26 AHF of rats given CD but in none of the 20 AHF fed CS + PHB. These data indicate that CD (which acts as both initiator and promoter) may be responsible for the appearance of aneuploidy. A general model, based on these results and the clonality of each individual focus, is proposed for the development of cells through the preneoplastic stage.     

Characterization of the promotion of altered hepatic foci by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in the female rat.

Previous studies have suggested that 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) acts as a promoting agent in various organ systems including the rat liver. Since a major characteristic of the stage of tumor promotion is its operational reversibility, we have assessed whether TCDD-induced promotion is reversible in a two-stage model of hepatocarcinogenesis. In this model, female Fischer F344 rats were administered a single, intragastric dose of the initiating agent, diethylnitrosamine (DEN, 10 mg/kg), at the peak of proliferation induced by a partial hepatectomy. TCDD was then administered biweekly (0.14 micrograms/kg, s.c.) for 1, 3 or 5 months. One group of animals was killed at each of these time points, while a second group was maintained for each time point for an additional 6 months in the absence of further TCDD. Four serial frozen sections of liver were each stained with a different enzyme marker of altered hepatic foci (AHF). The AHF were identified and the number and volume fraction determined by quantitative stereology. Exposure to TCDD resulted in an increase in the number and size of AHF in the initiated relative to the uninitiated rats. Increasing the duration of promotion with TCDD led to an increase in the number of AHF per liver, the volume fraction of the liver occupied by AHF and the number of markers expressed aberrantly by a single AHF. Discontinuation of TCDD administration for 6 months before killing the animals resulted in a decrease in the total number of AHF observed, but those AHF that remained increased in size with an overall increase in volume fraction of AHF. Analysis of the size class distribution for AHF for each of the periods of TCDD promotion revealed an increase in the larger AHF but a decrease in the smaller, thereby resulting in an overall decrease in number of AHF with an increase in the volume fraction of AHF. Increasing the duration of the TCDD exposure prior to its withdrawal led to an increased AHF size, phenotypic complexity and number of AHF remaining after cessation of TCDD administration. Although the levels of TCDD in livers of rats 6 months after cessation of TCDD administration were still greater than background, they were markedly reduced compared to immediately after administration. Thus, cessation of exposure to TCDD after a brief duration led to a reversal of its promotional effects on the majority of AHF, while prolonged exposure led to maintained promotion of a minority of AHF.     

Increased susceptibility of aged rats to hepatocarcinogenesis by the peroxisome proliferator nafenopin and the possible involvement of altered liver foci occurring spontaneously

We investigated the mechanism of the hepatocarcinogenic action of nafenopin (NAF), a nongenotoxic peroxisome proliferator. Groups of male rats aged 13 wk (designated "young") or 57 wk (designated "old") were fed NAF for 13 mo; additional groups received a basal diet or a phenobarbital (PB)-containing diet as positive control. The following results were obtained. (a) NAF produced numerous hepatocellular adenomas and carcinomas in old animals but very few in young animals. A similar result, although less pronounced, was seen with PB. Adenomas of PB-treated groups mostly consisted of eosinophilic and glycogen-storing cells. However, adenomas and carcinomas of NAF-treated livers were composed of weakly basophilic cells. (b) Phenotypically altered foci, evaluated in hematoxylin:eosin-stained sections, appeared spontaneously in untreated livers. The majority of these foci was either of the eosinophilic-clear cell or the tigroid cell type. In addition, we identified foci which are characterized by weak, diffuse cytoplasmatic basophilia. Their phenotype was similar to that of adenomas and carcinomas in NAF-treated rats. The number and size of eosinophilic-clear cell and of tigroid cell foci increased considerably with the age of the animals. At the end of the experiment, approximately 2.4% of liver tissue was occupied by focal cells. NAF, but not PB, treatment led to a selective increase in number and size of weakly basophilic foci. This subtype has previously been described as a likely precursor lesion for liver tumors induced by an aflatoxin B1-NAF initiation-promotion regimen (B. Kraupp-Grasl et al., Cancer Res., 50:3701-3708, 1990). These findings suggest that the peroxisome proliferator NAF leads to tumor development in aging rat liver by promotion of spontaneously occurring preneoplastic lesions. The type of lesion appears to be different from that promotable by PB.     

The clonal nature of carcinogen-induced altered foci of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase expression in rat liver

The clonality of tumors has been convincingly established. Because it is generally accepted that tumor formation involves a number of steps, it is important to determine which if any of the precursors of tumors are clonal. A series of chimeric rats produced between congenic strains by morulae aggregation were used to establish the cellular composition of foci of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (gamma-GTP; E.C. 2.3.2.2) expression in liver following initiation with N-nitrosodiethylamine and promotion with phenobarbital. The chimeras were produced between congenic rat strains (PVG and PVG-RT1a) genetically distinguished by alleles of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Monoclonal antibodies directed to distinctive class I MHC alloantigens were used to detect patterns of mosaicism in the animals. The parental genotypes present in most visceral tissues could be easily distinguished by our method. Analysis of 499 enzyme-altered foci revealed that 474 were comprised solely of either PVG-RT1a or PVG cells. Some apparent mixture of cells from the two lineages was observed in 25 lesions, most of which were very small. The observed pattern of distortion of normal patch distribution clearly indicated the expanding and clonal nature of these lesions.     

Alterations of markers during hepatocarcinogenesis in rats

Fischer 344 male rats were treated with N-nitrosodiethylamine, and two weeks later promotion was effected by treatment with N-2-acetylaminofluorene for 14 days. At midpoint of the promotion protocol, one group of rats was subjected to partial hepatectomy (model A); others were treated with either carbon tetrachloride (model B) or thioacetamide (model C). Alterations in the activities of marker enzymes (glucose-6-phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, cytochrome P-450, N-demethylase) during hepatocarcinogenesis were followed biochemically. The highest incidences of liver foci and of hepatocellular carcinomas were observed in model A, and these showed a good correlation with long-lasting elevated gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activity. Analysis of the marker alterations suggests that there are three stages in hepatocarcinogenesis: (1) depression resulting from the toxic action of the initiator; (2) recovery and adaptation to cellular injury; and (3) long-lasting adverse alterations in the activities of the marker enzymes after promotion. The loss of certain non-histone proteins soon after promotion was also observed. Comparative studies of the individual actions of initiators and promoters on marker enzymes indicated that both contribute to the marker changes during hepatocarcinogenesis.