CHAGAS-DISEASE - CARCINOGENIC ACTIVITY OF THE ANTITRYPANOSOMAL NITROARENES IN MICE

The carcinogenic activity of antitrypanosomal 2-nitroimidazole, 5-nitr oimidazole and 5-nitrofuran derivatives was assessed in female Swiss m ice of the same age group. A statistically significantly higher incide nce of growths was seen in mice into which 2-nitro had been injected t han in mice receiving 5-nitro derivatives intraperitoneally. A histolo gic type of lympholastic lymphoma that invades lymph nodes, spleen, li ver lungs and lymphatic tissue elsewhere was frequently found in nitro arene-treated mice. Further, it is shown that potency of the drug, rat her than the duration of its administration, was usually associated wi th the growth of lymphomas. The 2-nitro derivative with induced the hi ghest incidence of lymphomas significantly decreased the survival of t reated mice; this probably occurred because it undergoes enzymatic red uction of the nitro group more efficiently than the 5-nitro compounds used. The differences of incidence of lymphomas in mice receiving any of these nitroarenes and in control mice that received daily injection s of 0.15 M saline were statistically significant (alpha = 0.05). The indiscriminate use of these nitroarenes to treat Trypanosoma cruzi inf ections in man could therefore induced a significant number of lymphom as.