Repeated administration of carcinogen in critical developmental periods increases susceptibility of female Wistar : Han rats to mammary carcinogenesis induction
B. Bojkova et al., Repeated administration of carcinogen in critical developmental periods increases susceptibility of female Wistar : Han rats to mammary carcinogenesis induction, NEOPLASMA, 47(4), 2000, pp. 230-233
Analysis and knowledge of individual strain susceptibility of experimental
animals to induction of carcinogenesis is important especially in regard to
possibility of transfer of these facts to human pathology first of all to
chemopreventive projects. Our group (A(HLERS) et al. [1]) reported very low
sensitivity of female Wistar:Han rats to induction of mammary carcinogenes
is by 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) and by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (
NMU). The aim of this paper was to increase the sensitivity of females of t
his strain to mammary carcinogenesis induction by repeated administration o
f NMU in a dose 50 mg/kg of b.w. in critical periods: on 3-4 postnatal days
, on 21 day (critical period for development of ductal parts of mammary gla
nd) and between 50-55 days (maximal proliferation of whole gland). In compa
rison with 38% incidence of mammary tumors after the single dose and 65% in
cidence after 3 subsequent doses between 50 60 days, the combination of adm
inistration (only) on 21 day and between 50-55 postanatal days resulted in
88% incidence - the sensitivity of animals reached the level of highly susc
eptible rat strains. The latency period was significantly increased in grou
ps with NMU given on 3-4, 21 days and between 45-55 days respectively, on 2
1 day and between 45-55 days in comparison with control group (one dose of
NMU). The tumor frequency per group and per animal in all groups with repea
ted NMU administration was significantly higher than that of control group.
The volume of tumors was not influenced either by repeated carcinogen appl
ication or by time of its administration. These results expand the possibil
ities of analysis of carcinogen effects in individual periods of rat postna
tal development.