ROTENONE, AN ANTICARCINOGEN, INHIBITS CELLULAR PROLIFERATION BUT NOT PEROXISOME PROLIFERATION IN MOUSE-LIVER

In previous National Toxicology Program (NTP) studies, rotenone reduce d the background incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in male B6C3F1 mice. In the present studies, rotenone reduced the basal hepatic label ing index of male B6C3F1 mice in a dose-dependent fashion and inhibite d hepatocellular proliferation, but not peroxisome proliferation, indu ced by the peroxisome proliferator Wy-14,643. These results indicate t hat reduction of hepatic tumors by rotenone may have been due to decre ased liver cell replication, that peroxisome proliferation can be indu ced in the absence of hepatocellular proliferation and suggest rotenon e as a potential tool in studies of relationships of cell proliferatio n, peroxisomal proliferation and hepato-carcinogenesis.