Ronald A. Herbert

Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Nonneoplastic Lesions in Toxicology Studies

A pathology report is written to convey information concerning the pathologic findings in a study. This type of report must be complete, accurate and communicate the relative importance of various findings in a study. The overall quality of the report is determined by three Quality Indicators: thoroughness, accuracy, and consistency. Thoroughness is the identification of every lesion present in a particular organ or tissue, including spontaneous background lesions. Experienced pathologists familiar with background lesions may disregard certain types of lesions or establish a threshold or a severity above which background lesions are diagnosed. Accuracy is the ability to make, and precisely communicate, correct diagnoses. Nomenclature of lesions is a matter of definition and experienced pathologists generally agree as to what terms are to be used. Consistency is the uniform use of a specific term to record a defined lesion and implies that the same diagnostic criteria are being followed for each type of diagnosis. The relative severity of nonneoplastic lesions can be recorded either semiquantitatively or quantitatively. Semiquantitative analysis involves the application of defined severity grades or ranges for specific lesions. Quantitative analysis (counts and measurements) can be performed manually or electronically, utilizing image analysis and stereological techniques to provide numerical values. When both qualitative and quantitative parameters are applied in preparation of a pathology report, the recorded pathology findings can be interpreted and put into perspective. The use of this approach assures a reader that the pathology report meets the highest standards.

Hexavalent chromium is carcinogenic to F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice after chronic oral exposure.

Background Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] is a human carcinogen after inhalation exposure. Humans also ingest Cr(VI) from contaminated drinking water and soil; however, limited data exist on the oral toxicity and carcinogenicity of Cr(VI). Objective We characterized the chronic oral toxicity and carcinogenicity of Cr(VI) in rodents. Methods The National Toxicology Program (NTP) conducted 2-year drinking water studies of Cr(VI) (as sodium dichromate dihydrate) in male and female F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice. Results Cr(VI) exposure resulted in increased incidences of rare neoplasms of the squamous epithelium that lines the oral cavity (oral mucosa and tongue) in male and female rats, and of the epithelium lining the small intestine in male and female mice. Cr(VI) exposure did not affect survival but resulted in reduced mean body weights and water consumption, due at least in part to poor palatability of the dosed water. Cr(VI) exposure resulted in transient microcytic hypochromic anemia in rats and microcytosis in mice. Nonneoplastic lesions included diffuse epithelial hyperplasia in the duodenum and jejunum of mice and histiocytic cell infiltration in the duodenum, liver, and mesenteric and pancreatic lymph nodes of rats and mice. Conclusions Cr(VI) was carcinogenic after administration in drinking water to male and female rats and mice.

Abrogation of Lupus Nephritis in Activation-Induced Deaminase-Deficient MRL/lpr Mice

We generated MRL/lpr mice deficient in activation-induced deaminase (AID). Because AID is required for Ig hypermutation and class switch recombination, these mice lack hypermutated IgG Abs. Unlike their AID wild-type littermates, AID-deficient MRL/lpr mice not only lacked autoreactive IgG Abs but also experienced a dramatic increase in the levels of autoreactive IgM. This phenotype in AID-deficient mice translated into a significant reduction in glomerulonephritis, minimal mononuclear cell infiltration in the kidney, and a dramatic increase in survival to levels comparable to those previously reported for MRL/lpr mice completely lacking B cells and well below those of mice lacking secreted Abs. Therefore, this study wherein littermates with either high levels of autoreactive IgM or autoreactive IgG were directly examined proves that autoreactive IgM Abs alone are not sufficient to promote kidney disease in MRL/lpr mice. In addition, the substantial decrease in mortality combined with a dramatic increase in autoreactive IgM Abs in AID-deficient MRL/lpr mice suggest that autoreactive IgM Abs might not only fail to promote nephritis but may also provide a protective role in MRL/lpr mice. This novel mouse model containing high levels of autoreactive, unmutated IgM Abs will help delineate the contribution of autoreactive IgM to autoimmunity.

Phenolphthalein Induces Thymic Lymphomas Accompanied by Loss of the p53 Wild Type Allele in Heterozygous p53-Deficient (±) Mice

Epidemiology studies have indicated that many human cancers are influenced by environmental factors. Genetically altered mouse model systems offer us the opportunity to study the interaction of chemicals with genetic predisposition to cancer. Using the heterozygous p53-deficient (±) mouse, an animal model carrying one wild type p53 gene and one p53 null allele, we studied the effects of phenolphthalein on tumor induction and p53 gene alterations. Earlier studies showed that phenolphthalein caused carcinogenic effects in Fisher 344 rats and B6C3F, mice after a 2-yr dosing period (Dunnick and Hailey, Cancer Res. 56: 4922-4926, 1996). The p53 (±) mice received phenolphthalein in the feed at concentrations of 200, 375, 750, 3,000, or 12,000 ppm (approximately 43, 84, 174, 689, or 2,375 mg/kg body weight/day or 129, 252, 522, 2,867, or 7,128 mg/m2 body surface area/day) for up to 6 mo. A target organ cancer site that accumulated p53 protein in the B6C3F, mouse (i.e., thymic lymphoma) was also a target site for cancer in the p53 (±) mouse. In the p53 (±) mouse, treatment-related atypical hyperplasia and malignant lymphoma of thymic origin were seen in the control and dosed groups at a combined incidence of 0, 5, 5, 25, 100, and 95%, respectively. Twenty-one of the thymic lymphomas were examined for p53 gene changes, and all showed loss of the p53 wild type allele. Chemical-induced ovarian tumors in the B6C3F, mouse showed no evidence for p53 protein accumulation and did not occur in the p53 (±) mouse. The p53-deficient (±) mouse model responded to phenolphthalein treatment with a carcinogenic response in the thymus after only 4 mo of dosing. This carcinogenic response took 2 yr to develop in the conventional B6C3F, mouse bioassay. The p53-deficient (±) mouse is an important model for identifying a carcinogenic response after short-term (<6 mo) exposures. Our studies show that exposure to phenolphthalein combined with a genetic predisposition to cancer can potentiate the carcinogenic process and cause p53 gene alterations, a gene alteration found in many human cancers.

International Harmonization of Toxicologic Pathology Nomenclature: An Overview and Review of Basic Principles

The International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic Criteria for Lesions in Rats and Mice is a global project that is publishing criteria for both proliferative and nonproliferative changes in laboratory animals. This paper presents a set of general suggestions for terminology across systems. These suggestions include the use of diagnostic versus descriptive terms, modifiers, combination terms, and grading systems; and the use of thresholds, synonyms, and terminology for some processes that are common to several organ systems. The purpose of this paper is to help the reader understand some of the basic principles underlying the International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic Criteria for Lesions in Rats and Mice process.

Morphology of Nasal Lesions in F344/N Rats Following Chronic Inhalation Exposure to Naphthalene Vapors:

Naphthalene (CAS No. 91-20-3) administered by inhalation at concentrations of 10, 30, or 60 ppm for 6 hours per day, 5 days per week for 105 weeks caused nonneoplastic and neoplastic effects in nasal respiratory and olfactory regions of male and female F344/N rats. Non-neoplastic nasal effects were characterized by an increase in the incidence and severity of a complex group of lesions, including atypical hyperplasia, atrophy, chronic inflammation, and hyaline degeneration of olfactory epithelium; hyperplasia, squamous metaplasia, hyaline degeneration, and goblet cell hyperplasia of the respiratory epithelium; and hyperplasia and squamous metaplasia of mucosal glands. Neoplastic effects were characterized by the induction of two types of rare primary nasal tumors, olfactory neuroblastomas and respiratory epithelial adenomas. The incidences of olfactory neuroblastomas in males at 0 ppm, 10 ppm, 30 ppm, and 60 ppm were, respectively, 0%, 0%, 8%, and 6%, whereas in females they were 0%, 4%, 6%, and 24%. The incidences of respiratory epithelial adenomas in males at 0 ppm, 10 ppm, 30 ppm, and 60 ppm were, respectively, 0%, 12%, 17%, and 31% and in females 0%, 0%, 8%, and 4%. The olfactory neuroblastomas and respiratory epithelial adenomas were considered carcinogenic effects related to naphthalene exposure based on their relatively high incidence in exposed rats, their absence in concurrent control rats and NTP historical controls, and their rare spontaneous occurrence in rats of any strain.

Summary of Chemically Induced Pulmonary Lesions in the National Toxicology Program (NTP) Toxicology and Carcinogenesis Studies

The lung is the second most common target site of neoplasia of chemicals tested by the National Toxicology Program (NTP). Of all peer-reviewed NTP studies to date (N = 545), a total of sixty-four chemicals in sixty-six reports produced significant site-specific neoplasia in the lungs of rats and/or mice. Of the studies associated with lung tumor induction, approximately 35% were inhalation and 35% were gavage studies, with dosed-feed, dosed-water, topical, intraperitoneal, or in utero routes of chemical administration accounting for 18%, 6%, 3%, 1%, and 1% of the studies, respectively. The most commonly induced lung tumors were alveolar/bronchiolar (A/B) adenoma and/or carcinoma for both species. The most frequently observed nonneoplastic lesions included hyperplasia and inflammation in both species. The liver was the most common primary site of origin of metastatic lesions to the lungs of mice; however, skin was most often the primary site of origin of metastatic lesions to the lungs of rats. In summary, A/B adenoma and carcinoma were the most frequently diagnosed chemically induced tumors in the lungs of both rats and mice in the NTP toxicology and carcinogenesis bioassays, and hyperplasia and inflammation were the most common nonneoplastic changes observed.

Hepatoblastomas in Mice in the US National Toxicology Program (NTP) Studies

Over the last 8 years, a 5-fold increase in the incidence of mice with spontaneous hepatoblastomas and a moderate increase in the incidence of chemically induced hepatoblastomas in B6C3F1 mice occurred in 2-year NTP studies compared to the previous 7 years. There was a positive association between an increased incidence of mice with hepatoblastoma and an increased incidence of mice with hepatocellular tumors in the treated mice. The rate of pulmonary metastases for hepatoblastoma was similar to that of pulmonary metastasis for hepatocellular carcinomas. Although a variety of chemicals caused an increased incidence of mice with hepatoblastoma, there was no apparent association between a specificchemical structure or a biological class of compounds and their capacity to induce hepatoblastomas. Hepatoblastomas frequently arose within hepatocellular carcinomas or adenoma s and were induced by the same compound s that induced hepatocellular neoplasms. Therefore, it seems reasonable to combine the incidence of mice with hepatoblastomas and the incidence of mice with hepatocellular carcinomas in hazard identification studies.

Histopathological Evaluation of the Nervous System in National Toxicology Program Rodent Studies: A Modified Approach

This article outlines the changes and underlying rationale for modifications to the histopathological evaluation of the nervous system during toxicology and carcinogenesis studies conducted by the National Toxicology Program (NTP). In the past, routine evaluation of the nervous system was mostly limited to three sections of brain, and occasionally the spinal cord and peripheral nerves. Factors such as the increasing occurrence of human neurological diseases and associated economical cost burden, the role of unidentified environmental stressors in neurodegenerative disorders, multiple therapeutic drug-induced neuropathies noted in human clinical trials, and the exponential use of environmental chemicals with unknown neurotoxic potential necessitate a more extensive evaluation of the nervous system. The NTP has modified its protocol to include examination of key anatomic subsites related to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease. Modifications include four additional sections of the brain. Increasing the number of brain sections permits examination of a greater number of specific anatomic subsites with unique vulnerability. In addition, the spinal cord, peripheral nerves, trigeminal ganglion, and intestinal autonomic ganglia will be evaluated as needed. It is expected that this modified approach will increase the sensitivity of detecting neurotoxicants and neurocarcinogens important in human neurologic and neurodegenerative disorders.

Influence of Helicobacter hepaticus Infection on the Chronic Toxicity and Carcinogenicity of Triethanolamine in B6C3F1 Mice

Helicobacter hepaticus (H. hepaticus) infection causes hepatitis and increased hepatocellular neoplasms in male mice; although females are also infected, liver lesions are not typically expressed. In the 1990s, B6C3F1 mice from some chronic National Toxicology Program (NTP) studies were found to be infected with H. hepaticus. In these studies, there was hepatitis in many of the males, and there were more hepatocellular neoplasms in control males compared to studies with uninfected mice. In one of these studies, increased hepatocellular neoplasms at the high doses in male and female mice exposed topically to triethanolamine (TEA) provided the only evidence of carcinogenic activity. This study was repeated in mice free of H. hepaticus.However, the NTP mouse production colony and the diet differed between studies; these differences were the result of NTP programmatic decisions. In repeat study males, although control incidences were similar between studies, exposure did not result in increased hepatocellular neoplasms. In repeat study females, the control incidence of hepatocellular neoplasms was half that observed in the initial study, and these neoplasms were increased over controls at all doses. These data suggest that in the initial study, H. hepaticusinfluenced the induction of hepatocellular neoplasms in males, but not in females.