Carcinogenesis, Vol 19, 331-335, Copyright © 1998 by Oxford University Press
M Sawaki, A Hattori, N Tsuzuki, N Sugawara, K Enomoto, N Sawada and M Mori
The Long-Evans rat with a cinnamon-like color (LEC) is a mutant rat that
spontaneously suffers from chronic liver injury and subsequent
hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) caused by abnormal copper accumulation in
the liver. We attempted to elucidate the role of prolonged liver cell
injury on LEC rat hepatocarcinogenesis using a copper-deficient diet (CuDD)
to inhibit the occurrence of consequent liver injury. The animals were fed
the CuDD from the age of 4 weeks until being killed at the age of 10
months. Diethylnitrosamine (DEN) was administered at the age of 8 weeks.
Groups fed a basal diet (BD) with or without the administration of DEN were
also assigned as control groups. The animals fed the BD manifested liver
injury, while those fed the CuDD did not show liver dysfunction until
death. The number and volume of glutathione S-transferase placental form
(GST-P)-positive preneoplastic lesions in the liver, which were calculated
from the data on two- dimensional planes, were examined to clarify the
promotive effect of chronic liver injury on the development of HCC.
Regarding the size of the lesions, which indicated the intensity of the
promotive effect, the lesions in the livers of rats fed the BD with DEN
were much larger than those of rats fed the CuDD with DEN. Feeding the LEC
rats with CuDD completely suppressed the manifestation of liver injury, and
it was clearly shown that prolonged liver injury had a promotive effect on
the LEC rat hepatocarcinogenic process.
ARTICLES
Chronic liver injury promotes hepatocarcinogenesis of the LEC rat
Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Japan.
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