Enhancing effect of thiabendazole on urinary bladder carcinogenesis induced by sodium o-phenylphenate in F344 rats

Sodium o-phenylphenate (OPP-Na), a urinary bladder carcinogen in rats, and another fungicide, thiabendazole (TBZ) were fed separately or simultaneously to F344/DuCrj rats of both sexes. The rats were fed one of six diets, either the basal (control) diet or basal diet containing 0.2% TBZ (group T), 1% OPP-Na (1% SO), 2% OPP-Na (2% SO), 1% OPP-Na plus 0.2% TBZ (1% SO-T) or 2% OPP-Na plus 0.2% TBZ (2% SO-T) for 13 or 65 wk. In the 13-wk study, in which groups of ten rats of each sex were used, urinary bladder tumours appeared in 8/10 males in each of three groups--the 2% SO, 1% SO-T and 2% SO-T groups--but not in the remaining animals. Of these tumours, carcinoma accounted for 3/8 tumours in the 2% SO group, 2/8 in the 1% SO-T group and 8/8 in the 2% SO-T group. In the 65-wk study, in which groups of 15 rats were used, the tumour incidence in males was 1/15 in the T group and 15/15, 12/15 and 14/15 in the 2% SO, 1% SO-T and 2% SO-T groups, respectively, while in the females, tumours were found in 2/15, 1/15 and 12/15 animals in the 2% SO, 1% SO-T and 2% SO-T groups, respectively. Of these tumours, carcinoma accounted for 10/15, 11/12 and 10/14 in the males of the 2% SO, 1% SO-T and 2% SO-T groups, respectively, and for 1/2 and 6/12 in the 2% SO and 2% SO-T females, respectively. The tumour incidences in the 1% SO-T males in the two studies and in the 2% SO-T females in the 65-wk study showed a statistically significant increase over those in the 1% SO males or the 2% SO females. Thus, TBZ apparently enhanced the carcinogenic effects of OPP-Na in the rat urinary bladder.