Masao Hirose

HISTOPATHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF PRENEOPLASTIC CHANGES DURING N-BUTYL-N-(4-HYDROXYBUTYL)- NITROSAMINE-INDUCED URINARY BLADDER CARCINOGENESIS IN RATS

Sequential microscopic alterations of the urinary bladder epithelium during carcinogenesis were examined in rats after oral administration of 0.01% or 0.05% N‐butyl‐N‐(4‐hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (BBN). Simple hyperplasia appeared after 4 weeks of BBN administration. This regressed by 12 weeks after BBN discontinuation but reappeared focally in some areas after 20 weeks and persisted to the termination of the experiment. Preneoplastic papillary or nodular hyperplasia appeared earlier and more frequently in rats treated with 0.05% BBN than in those treated with 0.01%, but these lesions regressed gradually during a prolonged observation period after BBN was discontinued. These results suggest that 2 types of papillary or nodular hyperplasias exist, one reversible and the other irreversible. Tumors appeared earlier in rats treated with 0.05% BBN than in those with 0.01% BBN.

Methacarn fixation: a novel tool for analysis of gene expressions in paraffin-embedded tissue specimens.

To establish a quantitative method for analysis of gene expressions in small areas of tissue after paraffin embedding, preliminary validation experiments with RT-PCR and Western blotting were performed using methacarn-fixed rodent tissues and a cultured PC12 cell line. A total RNA yield of 52 ± 15 ng/mm2, sufficient for a quantitative RT-PCR of many genes, could be extracted from a deparaffinized 10-μm-thick rat-liver section by a simple, single-step extraction method. The low concentration of contaminating genomic DNA and the resolution of ribosomal RNAs in RNA gel proved the purity and integrity of the extracted RNA samples, allowing PCR amplification of a long mRNA sequence and mRNA species expressing low copy numbers. PCR amplification of mRNA-derived target gene fragments could be achieved by optimizing the amount of total RNA for reverse transcription and the number of subsequent PCR cycles for each gene. By this validation, organ- and sex-specific mRNA expression could be detected in methacarn-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues without additional DNase treatment of RNA samples. RT-PCR analysis could also be performed with total RNA extracted from deparaffinized tissue dissected with a laser capture microdissection system. In addition, extraction of protein yielded 4.9 ± 2.1 μg/mm2 from a 10-μm-thick rat-liver section, allowing a quantitative expression analysis of protein by Western blotting. Thus, in addition to its advantages for immunohistochemistry, methacarn-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue has benefits for analysis of both RNAs and proteins in the cells of histologically defined areas.

Antioxidants-Carcinogenic and Chemopreventive Properties

Synthetic and naturally occurring antioxidants have a wide variety of biological actions in rodents in addition to their primary antioxidant activity. Some of the included biological effects are of direct interest in relation to studies of carcinogenicity and/or modulation of carcinogenesis. Since the synthetic antioxidant BHA was first found to exert carcinogenic potential in rat and hamster forestomach epithelium, many other synthetic and naturally occurring antioxidants have been examined for their ability to induce proliferative activity in the alimentary canal. These studies have revealed that caffeic acid and sesamol are also tumorigenic for rat forestomach epithelium, whereas catechol and p-methylcatechol induce neoplasia in rat glandular stomach epithelium. Although the proliferative response is very rapid, with inflammation and ulceration, it takes a very long time before carcinomas develop. The proliferative lesions in the forestomach induced by BHA or caffeic acid are largely reversible, in contrast to those induced by genotoxic carcinogens, which generally persist and develop into cancer. Therefore, chronic irritation is considered to be responsible for the induction of stomach cancer by antioxidants. Butylated hydroxyanisole can undergo oxidative metabolism in vitro, and some of the metabolites formed have the potential for binding to proteins. Neither BHA nor its metabolites binds to DNA in vivo, but protein binding in the forestomach was greater than 10 times higher than that in the glandular stomach. It is thus conceivable that BHA is oxidatively metabolized in the forestomach epithelium (possibly entering into redox cycling), and reactive metabolites including semiquinone radicals or active oxygen species are responsible for the carcinogenesis by a mechanism involving binding to macromolecules. Many antioxidants have been shown to modify carcinogenesis, and as a rule, they inhibit the initiation stage by reducing the interaction between carcinogen and DNA. However, both promotion and inhibition have been reported for second-stage carcinogenesis, depending on the organ site, species of animal, or initiating carcinogen. They can also block reaction of amine and nitrite to form nitrosamines or reduce TPA promotion of skin carcinogenesis. Generally high doses of antioxidants are required for carcinoma induction or modification of chemical carcinogenesis. The significance of the reported tumorigenicity and strong promoting activity of antioxidants for forestomach epithelium of animals to the development of human cancer appears limited mainly because humans do not have a forestomach. The carcinogenic and strong promoting activities of catechol and its structurally related compounds on rat glandular stomach epithelium are of greater concern because this tissue is directly analogous to human gastric epithelium.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Inhibition of mammary gland carcinogenesis by green tea catechins and other naturally occurring antioxidants in female Sprague-Dawley rats pretreated with 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene

Effects of the naturally occurring antioxidants on mammary gland carcinogenesis were examined in female Sprague-Dawley rats pretreated with 7,12-dimethylbenz[alpha]anthracene (DMBA). Groups of 15-16 7-week-old rats received a 50 mg/kg body weight intra-gastric dose of DMBA, and starting one week thereafter placed on diet containing 0.4% catechol, 1.0% gamma-oryzanol, 2.0% phytic acid, 1.0% green tea catechins (GTC), 1.0% tannic acid or basal diet alone for 35 weeks. Although the final incidences and multiplicities of mammary tumors were not significantly different between DMBA-treated groups, the numbers of survivors in the antioxidant-treated groups at the end of the experiment at week 36 were significantly higher than in the basal diet group. In particular, the survival rate of the GTC group at 93.8% strongly contrasted with that of only 33.3% for rats on the basal diet. At the end of week 18, when all the animals were still alive, the average size of palpable mammary tumors was significantly smaller in the catechol, phytic acid and catechins groups. These results indicate that antioxidants, and GTC in particular, inhibit rat mammary gland carcinogenesis after DMBA initiation.

Impact of dietary exposure to methoxychlor, genistein, or diisononyl phthalate during the perinatal period on the development of the rat endocrine/reproductive systems in later life

To evaluate the impact of dietary exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) during the sensitive period of brain sexual differentiation, maternal Sprague-Dawley rats were fed three representative chemicals, methoxychlor (MXC; 24, 240, and 1200 ppm), genistein (GEN; 20, 200, and 1000 ppm), or diisononyl phthalate (DINP; 400, 4000, and 20,000 ppm), from gestational day 15 to postnatal day 10. Soy-free diet was used as a basal diet to eliminate possible estrogenic effects from the standard diet. Offspring were examined in terms of anogenital distances, prepubertal organ weights, onset of puberty, estrous cyclicity, and organ weights and histopathology of endocrine organs at adult stage (week 11) as well as the volumes of sexually dimorphic nucleus of preoptic area (SDN-POA). All chemicals caused signs of maternal toxicity at high doses. MXC, at 1200 ppm, facilitated and delayed the onset of puberty in females and males, respectively, females also showing endocrine disrupting effects thereafter, such as irregular estrous cyclicity and histopathological alterations in the reproductive tract and anterior pituitary. GEN, at all doses, reduced body weight (BW) at week 11, but did not affect endocrine parameters. Treatment with DINP at 20,000 ppm resulted in degeneration of meiotic spermatocytes and Sertoli cells in the testis and decrease of corpora lutea in the ovary at week 11, although changes remained minimal or slight. The SDN-POA volume remained unchanged with all three chemicals. The results demonstrated that perinatal dietary exposure to EDCs for a limited period causes endocrine disruption in offspring only at high doses.

Strong promoting activity of phenylethyl isothiocyanate and benzyl isothiocyanate on urinary bladder carcinogenesis in F344 male rats

Post‐initiation effects of phenylethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) and benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) on hepatocarcinogenesis and urinary bladder carcinogenesis were examined in rats pretreated with diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and N‐butyl‐N‐(4‐hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (BBN). Groups of 21 rats received a single intraperitoneal injection of 200 mg/kg body weight of DEN. Starting 2 days thereafter, they were administered 0.05% BBN in the drinking water for 4 weeks. Three days after completion of the carcinogen treatment, they were placed on a diet containing PEITC or BITC at a dose of 0.1%, or a basal diet alone for 32 weeks and then killed for autopsy. Further groups of 6 rats each were similarly treated with PEITC, BITC or basal diet alone for 32 weeks without prior DEN and BBN exposure. In the liver, although the incidences of liver tumors were not significantly affected, the multiplicity of foci larger than 0.5 cm in diameter was slightly increased by PEITC. In the urinary bladder, the incidences of papillary or nodular (PN) hyperplasias and carcinomas were significantly elevated by PEITC or BITC after DEN and BBN initiation. In the groups without initiation, PN hyperplasia was found in all rats of both PEITC and BITC groups, along with papillomas and carcinomas in some animals. Tumors and PN hyperplasias in the groups treated with PEITC and BITC are characterized by downward growth. Our results thus showed PEITC and BITC to be strong promoters of urinary bladder carcinogenesis with some complete carcinogenic potential. Int. J. Cancer 77:773–777, 1998.

Effects of arctiin on PhIP-induced mammary, colon and pancreatic carcinogenesis in female Sprague-Dawley rats and MeIQx-induced hepatocarcinogenesis in male F344 rats.

Chemopreventive effects of arctiin, a lignan isolated from Arctium lappa (burdock) seeds, on the initiation or post initiation period of 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) induced mammary carcinogenesis in female rats and on 2-amino-3, 8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx)-associated hepatocarcinogenesis in male rats were examined. In experiment 1, female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were given intragastric doses of 100 mg/kg body wt of PhIP once a week for 8 weeks as initiation. Groups of 20 rats each were treated with 0.2 or 0.02% arctiin during or after PhIP initiation. Control rats were fed 0.2 or 0.02% arctiin, or basal diet alone during the experimental period. Animals were killed at the end of week 48. Although the incidence of mammary carcinomas did not significantly differ among the PhIP-treated groups, multiplicity was significantly decreased in rats given 0.2 (0.7+/-0.7, P<0.05) or 0.02% (1.0+/-1.1, P<0.05) arctiin after PhIP initiation as compared with the PhIP alone controls (2.1+/-2.5). The average number of colon aberrant crypt foci was also significantly decreased in these two groups. Pancreas acidophilic foci were induced in PhIP treated animals with slight decrease in the multiplicity with arctiin during the initiation phase. For liver carcinogenesis, groups of 15 male F344 rats were given a single intraperitoneal injection of diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and starting 2 weeks later, they were administered 0.03% MeIQx in the diet, MeIQx together with 0.5% arctiin, 0.1% arctiin or basal diet for 6 weeks. They were subjected to two-third partial hepatectomy 3 weeks after DEN initiation and killed at the end of week 8 for glutathione S-transferase placental form (GST-P) immunohistochemistry. The numbers and areas of preneoplastic GST-P positive foci were elevated by the treatment with MeIQx, and further increased by the simultaneous treatment with arctiin. These results indicate that arctiin has a protective effect on PhIP-induced carcinogenesis particularly in the mammary gland in the promotion period. On the other hand, it may have a weak co-carcinogenic influence on MeIQx-induced hepatocarcinogenesis. In addition, the results suggested that PhIP is a weak pancreatic carcinogen in female SD rats, targeting acinar cells.

Subchronic toxicity study of gallic acid by oral administration in F344 rats

Subchronic toxicity of gallic acid (GA) was investigated in F344 rats by feeding diet containing 0, 0.2, 0.6, 1.7 and 5% GA for 13 weeks. Each group consisted of 10 rats of each sex. Toxicological parameters included clinical signs, body weight, food consumption, hematology, blood biochemistry, organ weights and histopathological assessment. Body weight gain in the 5% GA-treated animals of both sexes from week 1 to the end of the experiment was significantly lower than that of the untreated controls. Toxic effects following administration of 0.6% or more in males and 5% in females included reduction of hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit and red blood cell counts and increase in reticulocytes. Histopathologically, extramedullary hematopoiesis, hemosiderin deposition and congestion appeared in the spleens of 5% GA-treated animals, suggesting development of hemolytic anemia. In addition, centrilobular liver cell hypertrophy, reflected in increase in liver weight, was observed in animals of both sexes from 1.7%. In the kidney, Berlin blue-negative brown pigment deposition in the proximal tubular epithelium was observed at 5% GA. However, the severity of these pathological changes was weak. Based on the present toxicology data, 0.2% was determined to be a no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) in rats. This level was translated into 119 and 128 mg/kg/day, respectively for male and female rats.

Medium-term liver and multi-organ carcinogenesis bioassays for carcinogens and chemopreventive agents

To bridge the gap between long-term carcinogenicity tests and short-term screening assays such as the Ames test, several types of medium-term bioassay for rapid detection of carcinogenic agents have been developed using male F344 rats. The liver model, in which diethylnitrosamine initiation and acceleration of carcinogenesis by partial hepatectomy are essential components, requires only 8 weeks of animal experimentation and a few weeks for quantitative analysis of hepatic preneoplastic lesions. Using the model, a total of 250 chemicals have been analyzed and the efficacy of the system for hapatocarcinogens has thereby been well established. Other models are so-called multi-organ bioassays for detection of carcinogenic agents in multiple organs within relatively short periods. Among these, the DMBDD bioassay with 5 known carcinogens as initiators has been found to be most applicable and has now been introduced for practical use. Data from these bioassays and several single organ carcinogenesis systems have demonstrated that carcinogenic and modifying effects of individual exogenous agents may markedly differ from organ to organ. Therefore, research into chemoprevention should be based on a whole body level analysis. The present medium-term systems are very useful for this purpose.

Carcinogenicity of 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) in the rat.

A total of 10 highly-mutagenic heterocyclic amines have been identified to be carcinogenic in rodents. Among these, 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP), generally the most abundant with normal cooking procedures, induces mammary and colon carcinomas in rats in a clear dose-dependent manner. In a two-generation exposure (transplacental and trans-breast milk) experiment using Sprague-Dawley rats, an increased risk of mammary adenocarcinoma development was found in the second generation. Excretion of PhIP into the milk and transfer of PhIP to fetuses and neonates with resultant hepatic PhIP-DNA adduct formation were also confirmed. On the other hand, PhIP mammary carcinogenesis was significantly inhibited by coadministration of chlorophyllin or a synthetic antioxidant, 1-O-hexyl-2,3,5-trimethylhydroquinone, in long-term experiments using female F344 rats. The available findings strongly suggest that this food-derived carcinogen might be of importance as an environmental factor in the production of human cancers and that its carcinogenicity could be largely avoided by reducing intake of such compounds or by adoption of appropriate chemopreventive measures.