The pineal gland and cancer - I. Pinealectomy corrects congenital hormonaldysfunctions and prolongs life of cancer-prone C3H/He mice

Hormonal derangements almost invariably anticipate and signal the onset of tumors. Chronic, nocturnal melatonin administration delays aging in normal strains of mice. On the contrary it promotes and accelerates the onset of t umors in the cancer-prone strain of C3H/He mice. Grafting of a young pineal gland into aging mice prolongs their longevity and maintains juvenile circ adian hormonal functions while pinealectomy (Px) does the opposite. We inve stigated if Pr in C3H/He mice would modify their congenitally deranged pitu itary function and affect their longevity. It was found that contrarily to Pr in normal mice, Pr in C3H/He mice remarkably maintains juvenile night le vels of thyroid hormones and lipids, preserves a cell-mediated immune respo nse and significantly prolongs their life. The pineal gland and its patholo gy may be the key for understanding, not only the causes of metabolic aging , but also the origin of those congenital or progressive aging-related horm onal alterations preceding onset of all tumors and thus allow preventive co rrective interventions with pineal-derived agents. (C) 2000 Elsevier Scienc e B.V. All rights reserved.