sodium-nitrite and Endometrial-Neoplasms

Aging effects on the susceptibility to chemical endometrial carcinogenesis were investigated in ICR female mice. The animals were divided into 3 groups of different ages: 1 month (young), 6 months (middle), and 12 months (old) at initiation of treatment. They received weekly oral administration of mixture of ETU (100 mg/kg body weight) and sodium nitrite (70 mg/kg body weight) for 6 months followed by a withdrawal period of 3 months. All animals were subjected to histopathology. The incidence of endometrial adenocarcinomas was highest in the middle age group (8/20), secondary in the old age group (4/20), and lowest in the young group (1/20). The incidence of atypical glandular hyperplasia, a precursor lesion of the tumor, was also higher in the middle age group. The endometrial adenocarcinomas showed morphological similarities among all age groups and the nuclei of tumor cells lost almost all staining reactivity to estrogen receptors. The labeling indices with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) were notably higher in the old age group than in the young and middle age groups. A further investigation on the aging process of female genital organs in control mice revealed that their senility seemed to be preceded by the formation of ovarian cysts which first appeared at 6 months of age with a concomitant elevation of plasma 17 beta-estradiol level. These results indicate that the susceptibility of the mouse endometrium to the carcinogenic effects of N-nitroso ETU could be closely linked with the stage of aging process of the genital organs and it appears to be most susceptible when initiated at around 6 months of age. However, the mitotic activity of neoplastic endometrial glandular cells seems to be higher in older mice than younger ones.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Age Factors; Animals; Cocarcinogenesis; Endometrial Neoplasms; Ethylenethiourea; Female; Mice; Mice, Inbred ICR; Sodium Nitrite

Endometrial carcinogenesis induced by concurrent oral administration of ethylenethiourea (ETU) and sodium nitrite (NaNO2) was investigated in ICR (Crj:CD-1) female mice. A mixed solution of ETU (100 mg/kg) and NaNO2 (70 mg/kg) was given to animals orally once a week for up to 6 months and all surviving animals were killed at 12 months of study. During the study, estrous cycle was monitored by vaginal smear and five or 10 selected animals were subjected to interim killing at 3 month interval to observe time-related carcinogenic responses of the uterus. Treatment with ETU and NaNO2 resulted in development of endometrial adenocarcinomas in the uterine horn and the incidence reached 42% in the surviving animals at 12 months. Prior to the development of the tumor, atypical hyperplasia of endometrial glands was frequently observed and regarded as the precancerous lesion. Immunohistochemistry for bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation revealed higher labeling indices in both hyperplastic and neoplastic endometrial glandular cells, and the index in the adenocarcinoma was more than 20% on average at any stage of the estrous cycle. Overexpression of p53 protein, which is frequently demonstrated in virulent phenotypes of human corpus cancers, was seen in three out of eight (38%) adenocarcinomas, but not in the atypical hyperplasia or normal endometrial glands. There were no treatment-related changes in the estrous cycle on vaginal smears at any interval of the study. The analyses for plasma ovarian hormones at 12 months disclosed a marked depression of progesterone in the treated animals, while the 17 beta-estradiol (E2) level was comparable to the controls. These results suggest that endometrial carcinogenesis by ETU and NaNO2 could be initiated with atypical hyperplasia of the endometrial gland and a decrease in plasma progesterone level may play an important role in the development of endometrial carcinogenesis. In addition, inactivation of the p53 gene may play a significant role in the malignant transformation of endometrial epithelial cells in mice.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Administration, Oral; Animals; Bromodeoxyuridine; Cocarcinogenesis; Endometrial Neoplasms; Estrus; Ethylenethiourea; Female; Gonadal Steroid Hormones; Immunohistochemistry; Mice; Organ Size; Ovary; Sodium Nitrite; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; Uterus; Vagina; Vaginal Smears