PREVENTION OF SPONTANEOUS AND CHEMICALLY-INDUCED CARCINOGENESIS USINGACTIVATED CARBON-FIBER ADSORBENT - I. EFFECT OF THE ACTIVATED CARBON-FIBER ADSORBENT AQUALEN ON SPONTANEOUS CARCINOGENESIS AND LIFE-SPAN INMICE

Female SHR mice were fed the activated carbon fiber adsorbent Aqualen( R) beginning at the age of 3 months through their life. Mice were fed Aqualen five times per week together with lab chow at a daily dose of 100 mg/kg b.w. The addition of Aqualen into food did not significantly influence the dynamics of body weight and the mean Life-span of the a nimals. At the same time, the age at 90% mortality of mice was 4 month s longer in the group exposed to Aqualen, There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of all tumors and malignant t umors in the group of mice treated with Aqualen as compared with the c ontrol group. However, in the group of mice exposed to Aqualen, there was a 1.4 times reduction of the mean number of tumors per mouse. Feed ing mice with the adsorbent led to a 3 months longer life-span in anim als with any tumors and to a 5 months longer life-span in animals bear ing malignant tumors (P < 0.05). No carcinogenic effect of Aqualen was found. It could be supposed that Aqualen has some geroprotective and anticarcinogenic properties. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.