Comparison of lesions induced in the Syrian golden hamster by diethylnitrosamine, dimethylhydrazine, and dibutylnitrosamine: influence of subsequent butylated hydroxyanisole treatment

The target organ specificity of the carcinogens diethylnitrosamine [(DENA) CAS: 55-18-5], dimethylhydrazine [(DMH) CAS: 57-14-7], and dibutylnitrosamine [(DBN) CAS: 924-16-3] was examined in Syrian golden hamsters. Groups of male animals were given 8 weekly injections of one of these carcinogens and then were maintained on a basal diet or a diet supplemented with 1% butylated hydroxyanisole [(BHA) CAS: 25013-16-5], or they were given the respective carcinogens in the drinking water until they were sacrificed at week 34. While DENA specifically induced tracheal polyps and hepatocellular foci and nodules, DMH administration was associated with development of both hepatocellular and hemangiocellular liver lesions as well as forestomach papillomas and adenocarcinomas of the large intestine. DBN induced lesions in the urinary bladder, forestomach, and trachea, in addition to a few preneoplastic foci in the liver and lungs. In all organs studied, preneoplastic and neoplastic populations were essentially similar to those observed in other experimental animals, with colon and tracheal lesions demonstrating alteration in polysaccharide metabolism. While inhibiting the development of hepatocellular lesions, especially in the group initiated with DENA, and while itself inducing extensive papillomatous forestomach hyperplasia, BHA administration did not exert a significant modifying influence on tumorigenesis in other organs. The present results demonstrate the efficacy of Syrian golden hamster studies for investigation of comparative neoplasia. Of particular interest in this respect were differences in the degree of phenotypic instability demonstrated by glutathione S-transferase placental form-positive foci induced by the 3 carcinogens, which indicated a possible qualitative variation in "initiation."