Enhanced inhibition of mammary carcinogenesis by combined treatment with N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide and ovariectomy

Bilateral ovariectomy and dietary administration of the retinoid N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide (4-HPR) are both effective inhibitors of chemical carcinogenesis in the rat mammary gland. The present study was designed to determine whether an enhanced inhibitory effect is obtained with combined ovariectomy and 4-HPR administration, compared to either treatment alone. In separate experiments, 50-day-old virgin female Sprague-Dawley rats received either a single i.v. injection of 50 mg N-methyl-N-nitrosourea per kg body weight or a single intragastric dose of 20 mg 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene. The experimental design was the same in both the N-methyl-N-nitrosourea and 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene experiments: Group 1, 25 intact rats, placebo diet; Group 2, 25 intact rats, supplement of 782 mg 4-HPR per kg diet; Group 3, 50 ovariectomized rats, placebo diet; Group 4, 50 ovariectomized rats, supplement of 782 mg 4-HPR per kg diet. Feeding of the 4-HPR supplement was begun 7 days after carcinogen administration; ovariectomy was performed 7 days post-7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene or 14 days post-N-methyl-N-nitrosourea. In both experiments, combined ovariectomy plus 4-HPR was significantly more active in suppressing mammary cancer induction than was either manipulation alone. 4-HPR was a more effective inhibitor of carcinogenesis in ovariectomized rats than in intact animals. These data indicate that 4-HPR is highly effective in inhibiting ovarian hormone-independent cancers and suggest that retinoid inhibition of mammary carcinogenesis does not involve an influence on ovarian hormone action.