Nitrogen intake and tumorigenesis in rats injected with 1,2-dimethylhydrazine. (1/229)

Tumor incidence was studied in 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) injected male rats assigned at weaning to isoenergetic casein-sucorse deits containing 7.5%, 15%, or 22.5% protein with or without 2.5% urea. Twenty rats fed each diet were given weekly intraperitoneal injections of DMH (15 mg/kg body weight/week) for the first 24 weeks and 20 were given saline. Of 96 DMH-injected rats necropsied after 28 weeks, 88 were necropsied during the 32nd or final week of the experiment. Adenocarcinomas of the small and large intestine were larger and significantly more numberous in rats fed 15% and 22.5% dietary protein. Keratin producing papillomas of the sebaceous glands of the external ear were observed first at 21 weeks in DMH-injected rats fed 22.5% protein. These were subsequently observed in some rats from all DMH-treated groups. As time progressed, the ear tumors increased in size and number in all groups but the greatest incidence was in the group fed 22.5% protein. No tumors were observed in saline-injected rats. Urea feeding did not increase the number of tumors nor cause changes in pH, urease activity or ammonia concentration of contents of the colon or cecum, or blood cholesterol. As dietary protein increased, cecal ammonia concentrations rose while both colon and cecal pH dropped. Portal blood urea and cholesterol reose as dietary protein was increased. DMH-treated rats had significantly higher concentrations of colon and cecal ammonia and lower blood cholesterol. Altough the rats fed 7.5% protein gained significantly less weight during 0 to 6 weeks of feeding, their weight gain was significantly higher during 6 to 26 weeks. No tumors were found in rats necropsied at 16 weeks.  (+info)

The effect of dietary folate on Apc and p53 mutations in the dimethylhydrazine rat model of colorectal cancer. (2/229)

Dietary inadequacy of folate enhances and folate supplementation suppresses colorectal carcinogenesis in the dimethylhydrazine rat model. Folate is an essential factor for DNA methylation and the de novo biosynthesis of nucleotides, aberrations of which play important roles in mutagenesis. This study investigated whether the mutational hot spots of the Apc and p53 genes for human colorectal cancer are mutated in dimethylhydrazine-induced colorectal neoplasms and whether dietary folate can modulate mutations in these regions. Rats were fed diets containing 0, 2 (basal requirement), 8 or 40 mg folate/kg diet. Five weeks after diet initiation, dimethylhydrazine was injected weekly for 15 weeks. Mutations were determined by direct sequencing in 11 low and seven high grade dysplasias and 13 invasive adenocarcinomas. A total of six Apc mutations were found in four dysplastic and carcinomatous lesions: two in two low grade dysplasias, two in one high grade dysplasia and two in one adenocarcinoma. All mutations were single base substitutions, four of which were A:T-->G:C transitions. Five of the six mutations were located upstream from the region corresponding to the human APC mutation cluster region. Dietary folate had no effect on the frequency and type of Apc mutations. No mutations were detected in exons 5-9 of the p53 gene in neoplastic lesions. These data suggest that in the dimethylhydrazine rat model of colorectal cancer, the Apc gene is mutated in early stages, albeit to a lesser degree than observed in human colorectal cancer, whereas the mutational hot spot of the p53 gene for human colorectal cancer is not commonly mutated. Although the low frequency of Apc mutations and the small number of neoplasms studied in this study might have precluded our ability to observe modulatory effects of folate, dietary folate appears to have no significant effect on Apc and p53 mutations.  (+info)

The significance of nonspecific injury for colon carcinogenesis in rats. (3/229)

A purse-string suture was put into the rat's cecum to form a "diverticulum." When the thread cut this stitch, the resultant extensive necrotic zone healed for a long time. The presence of a foreign body (ligature) provided a permanent source of injury to the cecal mucosa. The lesions caused an increase in [3H]thymidine-labeled epithelial cells in the adjacent tissue detected by means of microautoradiographs. A postinjury injection of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine resulted in a marked increase in the rate of cecal tumor incidence (from 23 +/- 2.8% under ordinary conditions to 87 +/- 6% and 96 +/- 4% in different experimental series). The rise in tumor incidence following injury may be due to the entry of a greater number of stem cells into the mitotic cycle at which stage they seem to be responsive to carcinogenic influences.  (+info)

Rat colorectal tumours treated with a range of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs show altered cyclooxygenase-2 and cyclooxygenase-1 splice variant mRNA expression levels. (4/229)

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) reduce tumour mass by increasing the rate of tumour cell apoptosis and decreasing cell proliferation. The classically recognized target for NSAID action are the two isoforms of the cyclooxygenase (COX) gene, which is responsible for prostaglandin production. In the rat, the COX-1 gene expresses an alternatively spliced mRNA COX-1 splice variant (SV) which may, at best, code for a truncated COX-1 protein. Previously, we reported that COX-1SV mRNA is differentially expressed in the ageing stomach. In this study, carcinogen treated rats were treated for 23 weeks with celecoxib, sulindac or sulindac sulfone, while untreated rats received vehicle alone. For each animal, the number and volume of tumour per animal was recorded and histology was performed. Using competitive polymerase chain reaction, we determined whether COX gene expression was altered in colorectal tumours and in regions of adjacent and distant macroscopically normal intestine, from vehicle or NSAID treated rats. In addition, we immunolocalized COX-1 and COX-2 in the same tumour and normal colonic tissue. Tumours from animals treated with vehicle or celecoxib expressed significantly elevated levels of COX-2 mRNA in comparison with the adjacent normal mucosa. In contrast, tumours from sulindac and sulindac sulfone treated rats expressed significantly less COX-2 mRNA than tumours from vehicle treated rats. The expression of COX-1 mRNA remained unchanged in all tissues examined. However, COX-1SV mRNA levels were elevated in colorectal tumours and reduced after NSAID treatment to the levels observed in normal colonic mucosa. Our results indicate that the anti-neoplastic actions of NSAIDs may be attributed to COX dependent and/or COX independent mechanisms of action. We also demonstrate the presence and differential expression of COX-1SV mRNA in colon tumours. COX-1SV mRNA represents 2% of the total COX-1 mRNA expressed and its role in colon cancer remains to be established.  (+info)

Tumor induction relationships in development of transplantable cancers of the colon in mice for chemotherapy assays, with a note on carcinogen structure. (5/229)

In an effort to establish an animal colon tumor model suitable for biological and chemotherapy studies, 82 colon tumors were induced and transplanted in four different inbred strains of mice. Four colon tumors survived the first transplant and are now in serial passage. All are suitable for chemotherapy trials. Two tumors are highly metastatic, and at least one of these is known to be suitable for surgery-chemotherapy adjuvant studies. The effective colon carcinogens contained a (see article) molecular similarity.  (+info)

Predominant mutation of codon 41 of the beta-catenin proto-oncogene in rat colon tumors induced by 1,2-dimethylhydrazine using a complete carcinogenic protocol. (6/229)

Constitutive activation of the wnt-signaling pathway plays an important role during both human and rat colon carcinogenesis and can be brought through mutations in either the adenomatous polyposis coli or the beta-catenin gene. Mutations found in the beta-catenin gene typically affect one out of four regulatory phosphorylation sites near the N-terminus of the beta-catenin protein. Whereas in human colon cancers, however, the majority of beta-catenin mutations directly alter threonine 41 or serine 45; the beta-catenin mutations found in chemically induced rat colon tumors seemed to cluster around codon 33 instead. Unlike previous studies, that have used relatively short-term (2-5 weeks) treatment with one of the alkylating agents 1,2,-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) or azoxymethane, we have investigated the mutational spectrum of the beta-catenin gene in a panel of rat colon tumors induced by long-term (20 weeks) DMH-treatment. We detected beta-catenin mutations in 12 of 33 (36%) tumors. Interestingly, only one of the beta-catenin mutations found affected the previously implicated codon 33 cluster region (Asp32Asn), whereas 11 of 12 (>90%) mutations represented identical C-->T transitions within codon 41 resulting in the common replacement of threonine by isoleucine. We propose a model in which codon 41 mutations bear higher oncogenic potential but are induced by DMH less frequently than mutations in the codon 33 cluster region. Consequently, only after sustained carcinogenic treatment, as is achieved in the long-term DMH-protocol, codon 41 mutations will be induced frequently enough to be present in all developing malignant lesions and, then, because of their higher oncogenic potential, these are selected for.  (+info)

Mucous secretion in rat colonic mucosa during carcinogenesis induced by dimethylhydrazine. A morphological and histochemical study. (7/229)

Our previous studies, in specimens of large intestine resected for carcinoma, have shown abnormal patterns of mucous secretion in areas of apparently "normal" mucosa, where goblet cells produce mainly sialomucins as compared with the true normal colonic mucosa in which sulphomucins predominate. In the present work, large bowel cancer was induced in rats by the administration of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine-2HCl (DMH). We attempted to study the sequential histological and secretory abnormalities which developed in the colonic epithelium during carcinogenesis, and to correlate these changes with those described above in the human. The microscopical and histological lesions observed in the colonic mucosa of DMH treated rats confirmed the findings of other authors and resembled the human colorectal cancer. The earliest changes detected were small foci of hyperplasia accompanied from the 6th week onwards by several foci of dysplasia. Carcinoma in situ appeared at the 15th week and finally invasive carcinoma developed from the 19th week onwards. Changes in the type of mucous secretion, with predominance of sialomucins, were observed in the majority of the areas showing mild to moderate dysplasia whilst the surrounding normal epithelium produced suphated material. Mucous depletion was a common feature in areas of severe dysplasia and carcinoma. These findings correlated well with the similar variations in the mucin composition observed in human colonic mucosa in carcinoma and further supported our previous hypothesis that mucin changes characterized by an increase in sialomucins might reflect early malignant transformation. If this hypothesis proved to be correct, the use of a simple method for the identification of mucins in large bowel biopsies would be of great help in detecting early malignancy.  (+info)

Dietary selenite and azadeoxycytidine treatments affect dimethylhydrazine-induced aberrant crypt formation in rat colon and DNA methylation in HT-29 cells. (8/229)

Several observations implicate a role for altered DNA methylation in cancer pathogenesis. The global level of DNA methylation is generally lower; however, DNA methyltransferase (Dnmt1) activity is usually higher in tumor cells than in normal cells. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the Dnmt1 inhibitor, 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (aza-dC) would alter the effect of dietary selenium on the formation of aberrant crypts. Weanling rats (n = 60) were fed three concentrations of selenium (deficient, 0.1 and 2.0 mg/kg diet) in a Torula yeast-based diet. Half of the rats were injected weekly with aza-dC (1 mg/kg, subcutaneously) and half were injected with the vehicle control (PBS). After 3.5 wk of consuming the experimental diets, the rats were given two injections of dimethylhydrazine (DMH; 25 mg/kg, intraperitoneally). Rats fed the selenium-deficient diet and injected with PBS had significantly (P < 0.006) more aberrant crypts than rats fed 0.1 or 2.0 mg selenium/kg diet (244 +/- 21 vs. 165 +/- 9 and 132 +/- 14, respectively). In contrast, when rats were injected with aza-dC, there was a significant (P < 0.0001) reduction in aberrant crypt formation and dietary selenium had no effect (62 +/- 8 vs. 77 +/- 13 vs. 54 +/- 8, in rats fed 0, 0.1 and 2.0 mg selenium/kg diet, respectively). HT-29 cells cultured in the absence of selenium had significantly hypomethylated DNA but significantly more Dnmt1 protein expression than cells cultured in the presence of 1 or 2 micromol/L selenium. These results suggest that aza-dC treatment may protect selenium-deficient rats against carcinogen-induced aberrant crypt formation.  (+info)

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