dieldrin and Cocarcinogenesis

The effect of the liver tumor promoters phenobarbital (PB), 1,1-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-2,2,2-trichlorethane (DDT), and dieldrin on gap junction-mediated intercellular communication between primary cultured hepatocytes from male mice (B6C3F1), C3H, C57BL, and Balb/c strains) and male F344 rats was determined. Intercellular communication was detected autoradiographically as the passage and incorporation of [5-3H]uridine nucleotides from prelabelled donor hepatocytes to donor-contacting recipient hepatocytes. At non-toxic concentrations, PB (20-500 micrograms/ml) inhibited intercellular communication between B6C3F1, C3H, and Balb/c mouse hepatocytes and F344 rat hepatocytes, but not between C57BL mouse hepatocytes. DDT (1-10 micrograms/ml) inhibited intercellular communication between hepatocytes from all 4 strains of mice and the F344 rat. Dieldrin (1-10 micrograms/ml) inhibited intercellular communication between hepatocytes from the 4 strains of mice but not between rat hepatocytes. These findings showed a good correlation with the in vivo liver tumor promoting/hepatocarcinogenic actions of PB, DDT and dieldrin in the 4 mouse strains and the F344 rat strain.

Topics: Animals; Carcinogens; Cell Communication; Cells, Cultured; Cocarcinogenesis; DDT; Dieldrin; Liver; Liver Neoplasms, Experimental; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred Strains; Phenobarbital; Rats; Rats, Inbred F344; Species Specificity; Uridine

Chronic exposure of rodents to high dose levels of drugs, food additives and environmental chemicals frequently results in liver enlargement. Several of these compounds have been found to enhance the incidence of liver tumors in animals briefly exposed previously to hepatocarcinogens. Accordingly, it has been advanced that these agents act as tumor promoters. This contention has remained subject of controversy following reports that these substances may also cause liver tumors in noncarcinogen-treated rodents, particularly in those characterized by a relatively high incidence of "spontaneous" liver tumors. Since many of these chemicals are in common use, a crucial question would seem to be whether such effects are due to facilitation of the expression of pre-existing oncogenic potential, i.e., to tumor promotion, or to the synergistic action of weakly carcinogenic agents. As a result of mechanistic differences tumor promotion and syn-carcinogenesis must exhibit different dose-time-response characteristics, and, accordingly, it should be possible, in principle, to discriminate between these phenomena. However, since tumor manifestation periods in low-dose groups frequently exceed the animals average lifespan, this approach may not always yield conclusive data, unless a sensitive early marker of carcinogenic activity can be employed. There is evidence that enzyme-deficient preneoplastic areas in liver can be used for this purpose. A strong quantitative correlation between carcinogen dose, the extent of ATPase deficient areas, and the subsequent appearance of tumors has now been established for a number of hepatocarcinogens. Experimental data are consistent with the concept that two critical events (hits) are required for induction of ATPase deficiency in hepatocytes. The first hit is carcinogen-dependent, whereas the second hit would seem to be due to time-dependent event(s). Tumor-promoters, such as phenobarbital, were found to accelerate and increase formation of preneoplastic islets. This evidence, together with data indicating that the compound is devoid of carcinogenic potential, suggests that phenobarbital may be operative at relatively early stages of hepatocarcinogenesis by increasing the probability of the occurrence of the time-dependent second hit. Such effects are dose-dependent and appear to be related to the induction of liver enlargement. The changes in hepatocellular ploidy status and atypical nuclear figures observed during phenobarbital tr

Topics: Adenosine Triphosphatases; Animals; Biotransformation; Carcinogens; Cocarcinogenesis; Dieldrin; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Hypertrophy; Liver; Liver Neoplasms, Experimental; Mice; Phenobarbital; Precancerous Conditions

The effects of naturally occurring microsomal enzyme inducers on hepatocellular drug-metabolizing enzyme systems and also upon the incidence of "spontaneous" liver tumors in CF-1 mice were investigated, using animals maintained on semisynthetic diet and filter-paper bedding as controls. The administration of dieldrin, a potent microsomal enzyme inducer with tumorigenic properties in livers of CF-1 mice, to some of the experimental treatment groups served as a positive control. Conventional diet and sawdust bedding caused induction of the liver monooxygenase system, although this effect was far less pronounced than that produced by dieldrin. The incidence of liver tumors in mice exposed to conventional diet and sawdust bedding was similar to that seen in the control group. The incidence of liver tumors was significantly increased in dieldrin-treated mice, including those maintained on semisynthetic diet and filter-paper bedding. Both benign and malignant tumors were found in dieldrin-treated mice, the latter type of lesion showing evidence of lung metastasis. These results, together with evidence that dieldrin and its mammalian metabolites possess neither genotoxic activity nor potential, are consistent with the concept that dieldrin exacerbates or facilitates the expression of a preexisting oncogenic factor which is genetically linked and possibly viral in origin.

Topics: Animals; Beds; Biotransformation; Cocarcinogenesis; Dieldrin; Diet; Enzyme Induction; Liver Neoplasms; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred Strains; Microsomes, Liver; Neoplasms, Experimental; Oxygenases