The effects of 1'-acetoxychavicol acetate (ACA) on endogenous rat liver carcinogenesis because of chronic feeding of a choline-deficient, L-amino acid-defined (CDAA) diet were examined. Male Fischer 344 rats, 6 weeks old, received the CDAA diet containing ACA at doses of 0, 0.005, 0.010 and 0.050% for 12 weeks and were then killed. ACA decreased the numbers of putative preneoplastic, glutathione S-transferase placental form (GST-P)-positive, focal lesions developing in the livers of rats fed the CDAA diet but did not alter their sizes. At the same time, ACA reduced the levels of 8-hydroxyguanine, a parameter of oxidative DNA damage, but did not significantly affect generation of 2-thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances, indicators of oxidative extra-DNA damage, or hepatocyte proliferation. Furthermore, ACA did not exert any significant effects on the numbers or sizes of GST-P-positive lesions in the livers of rats when administered between weeks 2 and 8 after initiation with a single i.p. dose of 200 mg/kg body wt of N-nitrosodiethylamine. These results indicate that ACA prevents the CDAA diet-associated induction of putative preneoplastic lesions by reduction of oxidative DNA damage but does not affect their subsequent growth.

Hepatocarcinogenesis initiated with N-nitrosodiethylamine (DEN) and that initiated by feeding of a choline-deficient, L-amino acid-defined (CDAA) diet were compared in transgenic male Wistar rats harboring a rat glutathione S-transferase placental form (GST-P) gene (GST-P-Tg rats) and non-transgenic (N-Tg) rats. Eight-week-old GST-P-Tg and N-Tg rats were administered DEN intraperitoneally at 100 mg/kg body weight, subjected to a selection procedure with 2-acetylaminofluorene and CCl 4 , and killed at the end of weeks 5 and 12. Other groups were fed the CDAA diet for 12 weeks and killed. Five weeks after the DEN treatment, numbers and sizes of γ γ γ γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT)-or GST-P-positive lesions and 8-hydroxyguanine (8-OHG) levels in the livers were significantly less in GST-P-Tg rats than in N-Tg rats. The lesion numbers were unchanged between the ends of weeks 5 and 12 in GST-P-Tg rats, but decreased in N-Tg rats. The lesion sizes were increased in GST-P-Tg rats, but unchanged in N-Tg rats. While the proliferating cell nuclear antigen labeling indices (PCNA L.I.) in and surrounding the lesions were decreased, more prominently in GST-P-Tg rats than in N-Tg rats, the 8-OHG levels were also decreased but similarly in both cases. After 12 weeks on the CDAA diet, the lesion incidences, numbers and sizes, 8-OHG levels, PCNA L.I. in and surrounding the lesions, and liver injury were significantly less in GST-P-Tg rats than in N-Tg rats. These results indicate that insertion of a rat GST-P transgene alters the early phase of exogenous and endogenous rat hepatocarcinogenesis, presumably due to enhanced detoxification by GST-P expressed both transiently during the initiation and chronically in the altered hepatocyte populations.Key words: Glutathione S-transferase placental form -N-Nitrosodiethylamine -Choline-deficient, L-amino acid-defined diet -Transgenic rat -Rat liver carcinogenesisThe glutathione S-transferases (GSTs; EC 2.5.1.18) are a family of multifunctional, phase II detoxification enzymes catalyzing the conjugation of the reduced form of glutathione with electrophilic metabolites of xenobiotics.1, 2) Among the isozymes of the GSTs, GST placental form (GST-P) is present in small quantities in various rat tissues, but only in trace amounts in normal liver.3-5) It is lacking in fetal liver and not increased in regenerating liver, 3) but has attracted particular attention since it is highly expressed in putative preneoplastic, focal lesions as well as in hepatocellular carcinomas induced by most chemical carcinogens.3, 4, 6, 7) GST-P has been shown to be a very useful marker for quantitation of lesions in assessment of both initiation and promotion. 8,9) However, the biological roles and the mechanisms underlying GST-P expression within the preneoplastic focal lesions are still largely obscure.To cast light on this problem, we have cloned the rat GST-P gene 10,11) and identified a strong enhancer, GST-P enhancer I, having 2 activator protein 1 binding site-like sequences at −2.5 kb of the 5′ flanking regio...

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The effects of N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide (4-HPR) and all-trans-retinoic acid (tRA) on the exogenous and endogenous models of rat liver carcinogenesis respectively using diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and a choline-deficient, L-amino acid-defined (CDAA) diet were studied. For the exogenous study, male Fischer 344 rats, 6 weeks old, were given a single i.p. dose of 200 mg/kg body wt of DEN, partially hepatectomized at week 3, administered 4-HPR at doses of 0, 0.04, 0.08 and 0.16% or tRA at 0, 0.004, 0.008 and 0.015% in diet from week 2 for 6 weeks, and killed at the end of week 8. For the endogenous study, rats were fed the CDAA diet containing 4-HPR or tRA for 12 weeks and killed at the end of week 12. 4-HPR decreased the numbers and sizes of the glutathione S-transferase placental form-positive foci, assayed as putative preneoplastic lesions, the levels of 8-hydroxyguanine (8-OHG), a parameter of oxidative DNA damage, and the bromodeoxyuridine labeling indices (BrdU L.I.) by all three doses in the DEN-initiated case and, more prominently, in the CDAA diet-associated case. In contrast, while tRA failed to exert inhibitory effects apparently on foci development, 8-OHG formation or BrdU labeling in the DEN-initiated case, it reduced the numbers and sizes of the foci, the 8-OHG levels and the BrdU L.I. by all three doses in the CDAA diet-associated case. Furthermore, both 4-HPR and tRA inhibited the CDAA diet-associated induction of hepatocyte necrosis and connective tissue increase but not intrahepatocellular fat accumulation. These results indicate that 4-HPR exerts chemopreventive effects against the exogenous and endogenous rat liver carcinogenesis, while tRA can inhibit only the latter.

The irreversible changes caused by continuous EGF stimulation of ER-1 cells result from increased oxidative damage in the DNA, which generates tumor cells with more malignant characteristics.