Stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1, a novel target of omega-3 fatty acids for reducing breast cancer risk in obese postmenopausal women.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Conversion of saturated fatty acids to monounsaturated fatty acids by the enzyme stearoyl-Co-A-desaturase (SCD-1) is emerging as a major factor in promoting carcinogenesis including breast cancer. The aim of our study was to explore the regulation of SCD-1 by Raloxifene and omega-3 fatty acids in women at increased risk of breast cancer based on high breast density. SUBJECTS/METHODS: As a reflection of SCD-1 activity, we measured the ratios of palmitoleic acid (C16:1n7) to palmitic acid (C16:0) (SCD-16) and oleic acid (C18:1n9) to steric acid (C18:0) (SCD-18) in plasma samples of postmenopausal women enrolled in our clinical trial (NCT00723398) designed to test the effects of the antiestrogen, Raloxifene and/or the omega-3 preparation Lovaza, on breast density, a validated biomarker of breast cancer risk. RESULTS: We report that Lovaza but not Raloxifene-reduced SCD-16 and SCD-18 for the 2-year duration of the trial. Importantly, decreasing levels of SCD-16 and SCD-18 were associated with a progressive reduction in breast density but only in obese women (body mass index ⩾30). CONCLUSIONS: Body mass index-related factors play an important role in the reduction of breast density and hence breast cancer risk by omega-3 fatty acids. SCD-1 may be a useful biomarker in future clinical trials testing the benefit of nutritional interventions in reducing obesity-associated breast cancer risk.

Inhibitory effect of dietary p-methoxybenzeneselenol on azoxymethane-induced colon and kidney carcinogenesis in female F344 rats.

The effect of dietary p-methoxybenzeneselenol on colon carcinogenesis induced by azoxymethane [(AOM) CAS: 25843-45-2] was studied in female F344 rats. Starting at 5 weeks of age, animals were fed the high-fat diet (control diet) or high-fat diet to which 50 ppm of p-methoxybenzeneselenol (experimental diet) had been added. At 7 weeks of age, all animals except the vehicle-treated controls were administered sc injections of AOM (15 mg/kg body wt, once weekly for 3 wk). Animals were fed the control and experimental diets until 1 week after carcinogen treatment when those animals receiving the p-methoxybenzeneselenol diet were fed the control diet until termination of the experiment. p-Methoxybenzeneselenol in the diet significantly inhibited the incidence (percentage of animals with tumors) of tumors in the colon and kidney, as well as the colon tumor multiplicity (adenomas and adenocarcinomas per animal).

Chemoprevention of colon cancer by organoselenium compounds and impact of high- or low-fat diets.

BACKGROUND: Observational and experimental studies have suggested that dietary supplementation with selenium can inhibit the development of colon cancer. However, many forms of selenium are toxic. Consequently, the development of efficacious compounds with low toxicity has been pursued. PURPOSE: Two synthetic organoselenium compounds, p-methoxy-benzyl selenocyanate (p-methoxy-BSC) and 1,4-phenylenebis(methylene)selenocyanate (p-XSC), were tested for their ability to inhibit colon carcinogenesis in rats that were treated with the carcinogen azoxymethane and fed low- or high-fat diets. METHODS: Groups of 5-week-old male F344 rats (42 animals/ group) were fed either a high-fat diet or a low-fat diet with or without added p-methoxy-BSC (10 or 20 parts per million [ppm]) or p-XSC (20 ppm). Two weeks later, 30 animals in each group received a subcutaneous injection of azoxymethane (15 mg/kg body weight); 1 week later, they received a second injection. The remaining 12 rats in each group received two injections of saline. Three days after the second injection of carcinogen or saline, animals being fed diets with p-methoxy-BSC or p-XSC were switched to corresponding organoselenium-free low- or high-fat diets for the remainder of the study to determine the effects of the selenium compounds on the initiation phase of colon carcinogenesis. At that time, groups of animals that had been maintained on organoselenium-free low- or high-fat diets were switched to diets containing p-methoxy-BSC or p-XSC until the end of the study to determine the effects of these compounds on the postinitiation phase of colon carcinogenesis. All animals were killed during the 38th week after azoxymethane or saline treatment, and histopathologic analysis of the colon tumors was performed. Colon tumor incidence and multiplicity were analyzed statistically. RESULTS: No obvious toxic effects were observed following dietary administration of 10 or 20 ppmp-methoxy-BSC or 20 ppm p-XSC. Administration of 20 ppm p-methoxy-BSC in a high-fat diet during the initiation and postinitiation phases of colon carcinogenesis significantly (statistically) reduced colon tumor incidence; 10 ppmp-methoxy-BSC in a high-fat diet significantly reduced colon tumor incidence but only when it was given during the postinitiation phase. Colon tumor incidence was also significantly reduced when 20 ppm p-XSC was given in a high-fat diet during the initiation phase of colon carcinogenesis. When 20 ppm p-XSC was administered in either a high-fat diet or a low-fat diet during the postinitiation phase, both colon tumor incidence and multiplicity were significantly reduced; the greatest reductions were in animals fed a low-fat diet. CONCLUSIONS: In this model system, p-methoxy-BSC and p-XSC are effective agents for the chemoprevention of colon cancer. The effects of p-XSC were enhanced in animals fed a low-fat diet.

Effects of organoselenium compounds on induction of mouse forestomach tumors by benzo(a)pyrene.

The selenium analogues of three known inhibitors of chemical carcinogenesis were synthesized and the compounds were tested for their ability to inhibit the induction of forestomach tumors in mice by benzo(a)pyrene. Groups of female CD-1 mice were given NIH-07 diet, or NIH-07 diet to which one of the following test compounds had been added: p-methoxyphenol (30 mumol/g diet and 3.3 mumol/g diet); p-methoxybenzeneselenol (3.3 mumol/g diet); benzylthiocyanate (0.045 mumol/g diet); benzylselenocyanate (0.045 mumol/g diet); phenothiazine (3.8 mumol/g diet); and phenoselenazine (3.8 mumol/g diet). The test compounds were administered for 1 week prior to treatment with benzo(a)pyrene, during the 4 weeks of benzo(a)pyrene treatment, and for 1 week after benzo(a)pyrene treatment. Twelve weeks later the mice were sacrificed and forestomach tumors were counted and confirmed histologically as papillomas. p-Methoxyphenol was the most effective inhibitor and was the only one which significantly reduced both the percentage of tumor-bearing animals and the number of forestomach tumors per animal. At the 3.3-mumol/g diet, p-methoxyphenol reduced the number of tumors per animal from 3.3 to 0.8 (P less than 0.0003). p-Methoxybenzeneselenol reduced the number of tumors per animal from 3.3 to 2.0 (P less than 0.05). Benzylthiocyanate showed no significant inhibitory effect, but benzylselenocyanate reduced the number of tumors per animal from 3.3 to 1.7 (P less than 0.01). Phenothiazine significantly enhanced the number of tumors per animal from 3.3 to 6.5 (P less than 0.004). Phenoselenazine had no effect on tumor induction. The results of this study indicate that two synthetic organoselenium compounds, p-methoxybenzeneselenol and benzylselenocyanate, are effective inhibitors of mouse forestomach tumorigenesis induced by benzo(a)pyrene.

Metabolism of 1-nitro[U-4,5,9,10-14C]pyrene in the F344 rat.

1-Nitro[U-4,5,9,10-14C]pyrene was synthesized and administered to male F344 rats by intragastric gavage at a dose of 100 mg/kg of body weight. During the first 48 hr, 41% of the dose was eliminated in the feces, and 16% was eliminated in the urine. The corresponding figures after 120 hr were 51 and 19%. In rats with bile cannulae, 37% of the dose was excreted in the bile after 72 hr, and 6% was excreted in the urine. Fecal metabolites included 1-aminopyrene (isolated amount, 11.7% of the dose), 1-amino-6-hydroxypyrene and 1-amino-8-hydroxypyrene (4.6%), and unchanged 1-nitropyrene (6.6%). 1-Aminopyrene and the 1-aminohydroxypyrenes were identified as their acetyl-derivatives by comparison of their chromatographic retention times, mass spectra, and UV spectra to those of synthetic standards. Biliary metabolites included 1-aminopyrene, 1-amino-6-hydroxypyrene, 1-amino-8-hydroxypyrene, 1-nitro-6(8)-hydroxypyrene, and 1-nitro-3-hydroxypyrene, as well as their glucuronide and sulfate conjugates. The isolated amounts of these metabolites accounted for approximately 5% of the dose. 1-Amino-6-hydroxypyrene and 1-amino-8-hydroxypyrene and their glucuronide and sulfate conjugates were also tentatively identified in the urine and accounted for about 3% of the dose. Significant quantities of unidentified water soluble metabolites were present in the urine and bile. The results of this study indicate that metabolic reduction of the highly mutagenic 1-nitrohydroxypyrenes occurs in vivo in the rat and suggest that this is a possible activation pathway in 1-nitropyrene carcinogenesis.

Identification of trans-1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxy-6-nitrochrysene as a major mutagenic metabolite of 6-nitrochrysene.

Liver 9000 X g supernatant from rats was used to study the metabolism of [6- 14C]nitrochrysene under aerobic conditions. The major ethyl acetate-soluble metabolite (1.06 nmol/mg of protein in 30 min) was identified as 1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxy-6-nitrochrysene, based on its mass, UV, and proton magnetic resonance spectra. Under aerobic conditions, 6-aminochrysene was not detected as a metabolite. However, when incubations were carried out in an atmosphere of 4% O2 in N2, both 1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxy-6-nitrochrysene (0.04 nmol/mg of protein) and 6-aminochrysene (0.05 nmol/mg of protein) were detected. Further metabolism of the 14C-labeled 1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxy-6-nitrochrysene by rat liver 9000 X g supernatant under aerobic conditions gave a major metabolite which was identified tentatively as 1,2-dihydroxy-6-nitrochrysene. The mutagenic activities of 6-nitrochrysene, trans-1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxy-6-nitrochrysene and 6-aminochrysene were assessed in Salmonella typhimurium strains TA100 and TA98. In the absence of rat liver 9000 X g supernatant, trans-1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxy-6-nitrochrysene was the more potent mutagen in TA100 but, in TA98, it was less active than was 6-nitrochrysene. In the presence of rat liver 9000 X g supernatant, both trans-1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxy-6-nitrochrysene and 6-nitrochrysene were more mutagenic in TA100 than in the assays performed without an activating system, and the dihydrodiol metabolite was more mutagenic than was 6-nitrochrysene. In TA98 with activation, trans-1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxy-6-nitrochrysene, 6-aminochrysene, and 6-nitrochrysene were all mutagenic. The results of this study indicate that trans-1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxy-6-nitrochrysene is a major proximate mutagen of 6-nitrochrysene in S. typhimurium TA100.

Identification and mutagenicity of metabolites of 1-nitropyrene formed by rat liver.

The metabolism of 1-nitropyrene by rat liver 9000 X g supernatant was investigated. Under aerobic conditions, ring oxidation to 1-nitropyren-3-ol, 1-nitropyren-6-ol, 1-nitropyren-8-ol, and 4,5-dihydro-4,5-dihydroxy-1-nitropyrene and nitroreduction to 1-aminopyrene were observed. Metabolites were identified by their ultraviolet, mass, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectra; by chemical transformations; and by comparison to reference standards. When incubations were carried out in an atmosphere of 4% O2 in N2, 1-aminopyrene was the major metabolite. The mutagenic activities of 1-nitropyren-3-ol, 1-nitropyren-6-ol, and 1-nitrosopyrene were assessed in Salmonella typhimurium strains TA 98 and TA 100. In strain TA 98, without activation, doses of 0.5 micrograms/plate or less of these three compounds were more mutagenic than was 1-nitropyrene; however, their activities decreased rapidly at higher doses. In the presence of rat liver 9000 X g supernatant, they were less mutagenic than was 1-nitropyrene at all doses tested. In S. typhimurium TA 100, without activation, 1-nitropyren-3-ol, 1-nitropyren-6-ol, and 1-nitrosopyrene were more mutagenic than was 1-nitropyrene at doses of 0.25 micrograms/plate or less, but their activities decreased at higher doses. In strain TA 100, with activation, only 1-nitropyren-6-ol was more mutagenic than was 1-nitropyrene. The results of this study indicate that both nitroreduction and ring oxidation may be involved in the mutagenic activity of 1-nitropyrene.

Identification of mutagenic metabolites formed by C-hydroxylation and nitroreduction of 5-nitroacenaphthene in rat liver.

The metabolism of the mutagen and carcinogen, 5-nitroacenaphthene, by the 9000 x g supernatant from the livers of Aroclor-pretreated rats was studied. The major primary metabolites were 1-hydroxy-5-nitroacenaphthene and 2-hydroxy-5-nitroacenaphthene. These metabolites were oxidized to 1-oxo-5-nitroacenaphthene and 2-oxo-5-nitroacenaphthene, hydroxylated to cis-1,2-dihydroxy-5-nitroacenaphthene and trans-1,2-dihydroxy-5-nitroacenaphthene, and reduced to 1-hydroxy-5-aminoacenaphthene and 2-hydroxy-5-aminoacenaphthene. Reduction of 1- and 2-oxo-5-nitroacenaphthene to 1-oxo- and 2-oxo-5-aminoacenaphthene was also observed. When incubations were carried out in a N2-enriched atmosphere (10% O2 in N2), the major metabolites were 1-hydroxy- and 2-hydroxy-5-nitroacenaphthene and 2-oxo-5-aminoacenaphthene. Selected metabolites were tested for mutagenicity toward Salmonella typhimurium TA 98. The most mutagenic of the metabolites tested, in the presence or absence of rat liver 9000 x g supernatant, were 1-hydroxy-5-nitroacenaphthene and 1-oxo-5-nitroacenaphthene. These results indicate that the 9000 x g supernatant from the livers of Aroclor-pretreated rats is capable of catalyzing both the oxidation and reduction of 5-nitroacenaphthene and that the reduced derivatives of 1-hydroxy- or 2-hydroxy- or 1-oxo- or 2-oxo-5-nitroacenaphthene are proximate mutagens.

Chemoprevention of colon carcinogenesis by dietary organoselenium, benzylselenocyanate, in F344 rats.

The effect of feeding benzylselenocyanate (BSC) and its sulfur analogue, benzylthiocyanate (BTC), 2 wk before, during, and until 1 wk after carcinogen administration (initiation phase) on intestinal carcinogenesis induced by azoxymethane (CAS:25843-45-2) was studied in male F344 rats. Weanling rats were raised on a semipurified diet (AIN-76A diet; control diet). Beginning at 5 wk of age, groups of animals consuming the control diet were fed one of the diets containing 25 ppm BSC or BTC. An additional group was continued on the control diet. At 7 wk of age, all animals in 3 groups, except the vehicle-treated controls, were administered s.c. injections of azoxymethane (15 mg/kg body weight, once weekly for 2 wk). Animals were continued on the control diet and BSC and BTC diets until 1 wk after carcinogen treatment, when those groups receiving BSC and BTC diets were fed the control diet until termination of the experiment. Tissue and blood plasma glutathione peroxidase activity was measured in vehicle-treated animals fed the control diet and BSC and BTC diets for 5 wk. The results indicate that body weights were comparable among the various dietary groups. BSC in the diet significantly inhibited the incidence (percentage of animals with tumors) and multiplicity (tumors/animal) of adenocarcinomas in the colon and multiplicity of adenocarcinomas in the small intestine compared to those fed the control diet. BTC in the diet had no effect on colon and small intestinal tumors. Selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase activity was significantly increased in kidneys and colon and small intestinal mucosae of animals fed the BSC diet compared to animals fed the BTC and control diets.

Metabolism and DNA binding of 2-nitropyrene in the rat.

2-Nitropyrene (2-NP), a contaminant of ambient air, is a potent bacterial mutagen in the Ames assay and induces leukemia/lymphoma in female Sprague-Dawley rats. To understand the mechanistic basis for its tumorigenic activity, it is essential to elucidate the metabolic pathways of 2-NP in vivo. Such knowledge will also assist in developing analytical methods for monitoring human exposure to nitropolynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in ambient air. Thus, 2-nitro[U-4,5,9,10-14C]pyrene was synthesized and administered to male F344 rats by intragastric gavage at a dose of 30 mg (0.4 mCi/mM)/kg body weight. During the first 48 h, 57.5% of the dose was eliminated in the feces and 9.7% was eliminated in the urine. Correspondingly, after 168 h, 58.9 and 10.6% were excreted in feces and urine, respectively. Fecal metabolites (isolated amounts) included 6-hydroxy-2-acetylaminopyrene (19.5%), 6-hydroxy-2-aminopyrene (10.4%), 2-aminopyrene (10.0%), 2-acetylaminopyrene (0.8%), and unmetabolized 2-nitropyrene (10.0%). 6-Hydroxy-2-acetylaminopyrene, 6-hydroxy-2-aminopyrene, and 2-aminopyrene were identified as their acetyl derivatives by comparison of their chromatographic retention times, mass spectra, and UV spectra to those of synthetic standards. Urinary metabolites included 6-hydroxy-2-acetylaminopyrene (2.0%); glucuronide conjugates were tentatively identified (3.2%). The results of this study indicate that nitroreduction and ring oxidation are metabolic pathways in vivo. For DNA binding studies, rats were treated with 2-nitro[4,5,9,10-3H]pyrene [1.6 mg (598 mCi/mM)/kg body weight]. The levels of binding (pM bound/mg DNA) were as follows: 1.3, liver; 1.14, mammary tissue; 0.65, lung; 1.67, kidney; and 1.8, bladder. Upon high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of the DNA hydrolysate (liver, mammary, and kidney), approximately 2.0% of the radioactivity coeluted with the synthetic markers derived from nitroreduction, N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-aminopyrene and N-(deoxyadenosin-8-yl)-2-aminopyrene. Thus, simple nitroreduction of 2-NP does not significantly contribute to the total DNA binding of 2-NP metabolites in vivo. The significance of each pathway for the tumorigenic effects of 2-NP remains to be examined.

Metabolism and DNA binding of the environmental colon carcinogen 6-nitrochrysene in rats.

The environmental contaminant 6-nitrochrysene (6-NC) has been shown to induce adenomas and adenocarcinomas in the colons of rats. The present study aimed at providing a better understanding of mechanisms that are responsible for this effect. Three female CD rats were injected i.p. with [3,4,9,10-3H]6-NC [9 mumol/rat (346 microCi/rat)], and urine and feces were collected daily for 3 days. In the first 24 h, radioactivity corresponding to 1.3% of the dose was excreted in the urine, whereas 23.0% was recovered in the feces. After 3 days, the total excretions in urine and feces were 2.8% and 34.9% of the dose, respectively. Radioactivity measured in various organs 3 days after injection of [3,4,9,10-3H]6-NC amounted to 24.8% of the administered dose. Fecal metabolites were identified, based on comparison of their chromatographic characteristics with those of standards, as trans-1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxy-6-NC, chrysene-5,6-quinone, and 6-aminochrysene (6-AC); the structure of the latter was further confirmed by mass spectrometry and UV spectral analysis. Metabolites identified in the urine were 6-AC, trans-1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxy-6-NC, and trans-9,10-dihydro-9,10-dihydroxy-6-NC in free forms and also as glucuronide and/or sulfate conjugates. The 32P-postlabeling assay was used to determine the metabolic pathways that were leading to DNA adduct formation in the target (colon) and nontarget (liver, lung, and mammary tissues) organs of female CD rats injected with 6-NC under conditions identical to those of the bioassay (total, 14.8 mumol/rat; single i.p. injections on days 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29). Twenty-four h after the last carcinogen administration, the levels of the adduct derived from trans-1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxy-6-AC were higher than those derived from N-hydroxy-6-AC in all organs examined; however, the highest levels of DNA adducts were found in the lung and not in the target organ, the colon. Although the role of each adduct in colon carcinogenesis needs to be determined, the results favor the ring oxidation and nitroreduction combination pathway as the primary contributor to the activation of 6-NC as a colon carcinogen in the rat.

Potent mammary carcinogenicity in female CD rats of a fjord region diol-epoxide of benzo[c]phenanthrene compared to a bay region diol-epoxide of benzo[a]pyrene.

Two diol-epoxide metabolites of benzo[c]phenanthrene and benzo[a]pyrene, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons which occur in the environment, were tested for carcinogenicity by direct injection into the mammary fat pads of female CD rats. The compounds anti-3,4-dihydroxy-1,2-epoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrobenzo[c]phenanthrene (BcPDE), a fjord region diol-epoxide, and anti-7,8-dihydroxy-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene, a bay region diol-epoxide, were applied at total doses of 12.2 mumol. 6-Nitrochrysene was applied at the same dose as a positive control (K. El-Bayoumy, A. Rivenson, P. Upadhyaya, Y-H. Chae, and S. S. Hecht, Cancer Res. 53: 3719-3722, 1993). The sterically hindered fjord region diol-epoxide BcPDE was a powerful mammary tumorigen and carcinogen, rapidly inducing significantly more fibroadenoma and adenocarcinoma than either of the other compounds. Anti-7,8-dihydroxy-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene was a weaker mammary tumorigen than BcPDE and 6-nitrochrysene. The results of this study provide the first evidence for mammary tumorigenicity of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon diol-epoxides and demonstrate the potent mammary carcinogenicity of BcPDE.

Chemoprevention of colon carcinogenesis by the synthetic organoselenium compound 1,4-phenylenebis(methylene)selenocyanate.

The chemopreventive effect of 40% and 80% maximum tolerated dose (MTD) levels of 1,4-phenylenebis(methylene)selenocyanate (p-XSC) administered in the diet during the initiation phase (2 weeks before, during, and up to 3 days after carcinogen administration) and the post-initiation phase (3 days after carcinogen treatment until termination) of azoxymethane (AOM)-induced colon carcinogenesis was studied in male F344 rats. The MTD of p-XSC was determined in male F344 rats and found to be 50 ppm. Beginning at 5 weeks of age, all animals were divided into various experimental groups (42 rats/group) and fed the high-fat semipurified diet or diets containing 20 (40% MTD) and 40 (80% MTD) ppm p-XSC. At 7 weeks of age, all animals (30 rats/group) except the vehicle-treated groups (12 rats/group) were administered s.c. injections of AOM (15 mg/kg body weight/week for 2 weeks). Three days after the second injection of AOM or vehicle (normal saline), groups of animals fed the p-XSC diets and control diet were transferred, respectively, to control diet and p-XSC diets and continued on these diets until the termination of the study. All animals were necropsied during the 36th week after AOM treatment. Colonic mucosal prostaglandin E2 and selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase were measured in animals fed the control and p-XSC diets at the termination of the study. The results indicate that 40 ppm p-XSC administered during the initiation phase significantly inhibited the colon tumor incidence (percentage of animals with tumors). Dietary p-XSC administered at 20 and 40 ppm levels during the initiation phase significantly inhibited colon tumor multiplicity (tumors/animal and tumors/tumor-bearing animal). Colon tumor incidence and multiplicity were significantly reduced in groups fed 20 and 40 ppm p-XSC diets at the postinitiation phase of carcinogenesis. Colonic mucosal selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase activity was increased, and prostaglandin E2 was reduced in animals fed the p-XSC diet compared to animals fed the control diet. Whereas the precise mechanisms of p-XSC-induced inhibition of colon carcinogenesis remain to be elucidated, it is likely that the effect during the initiation and postinitiation phases may be due to alteration in carcinogen metabolism and to modulation of prostaglandin synthesis and selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase activity.

1,4-phenylenebis(methylene)selenocyanate exerts exceptional chemopreventive activity in rat tongue carcinogenesis.

Among the organoselenium compounds, 1,4-phenylenebis(methylene) selenocyanate (p-XSC) is reported to exert the most effective chemopreventive effect on chemically induced carcinogenesis in the mammary glands, colon, and lung of laboratory animals. This study was designed to test the inhibitory effects of dietary p-XSC (5 and 15 ppm as selenium) during the initiation phase (1 week before, during, and up to 1 week after the carcinogen exposure) and the postinitiation phase (1 week after carcinogen administration until termination) on the formation of neoplasms of the tongue induced in male F344 rats by 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4-NQO). The doses of p-XSC were 20% (5 ppm selenium) and 60% (15 ppm selenium) of maximum tolerated dose levels. At 6 weeks of age, all rats except those given p-XSC alone and those in untreated groups were treated with 4-NQO (20 ppm in the drinking water for 8 weeks). Dietary p-XSC, administered at selenium levels of 5 and 15 ppm during either the initiation or postinitiation phases, significantly reduced the incidence of carcinoma of the tongue. p-XSC was especially effective when it was administered at 15 ppm selenium during the postinitiation phase, in which case it completely inhibited the development of tongue carcinoma (from 47% in the dietary control to 0%). Glutathione S-transferase activities in the liver and tongue of rats treated with 4-NQO and p-XSC were significantly elevated compared to those in rats treated with 4-NQO alone. Similarly, quinone reductase activity was significantly elevated in the liver but decreased in the tongue (posterior portion). Such modulation by p-XSC in the phase II enzyme activities of the liver and tongue might be related to inhibition of the initiation. In addition, the expression of cell proliferation biomarkers, such as polyamine level, ornithine decarboxylase activity, 5-bromodeoxyuridin-labeling index, and argyrophilic nucleolar organizer's protein number, in the epithelium of the tongue was significantly reduced in rats that were fed thep-XSC diets compared to those who were fed the basal diet. Such alteration in cell proliferation through modulation of ornithine decarboxylase activity and polyamine biosynthesis in the tongue epithelium might be related to inhibition occurring in the postinitiation phase of carcinogenesis. The dose levels of p-XSC used induced no toxicity or alteration in body weight gain. Although the precise mechanisms of p-XSC-induced inhibition of tongue carcinogenesis remains to be elucidated, it is evident that p-XSC has powerful chemopreventive efficacy against tongue carcinogenesis.

Identification and quantitative determination of aniline and toluidines in human urine.

Aniline and o-, m-, and p-toluidine, which are representative of aromatic amines in cigarette smoke, were identified and quantified in human urine. Smokers excreted 3.1 +/- 2.6 micrograms/24 h of aniline and 6.3 +/- 3.7 micrograms/24 h of o-toluidine (n = 16). Nonsmokers excreted 2.8 +/- 2.5 micrograms/24 h of aniline and 4.1 +/- 3.2 micrograms/24 h of o-toluidine (n = 12). Meta- and p-toluidine were detected in the urine of 2 of 11 smokers and 4 of 9 nonsmokers. The observed intra- and interindividual variations in the amounts of urinary aniline and o-toluidine were relatively large. The results of this study demonstrate for the first time that aniline and toluidines are present in human urine and suggest that sources other than cigarette smoke contribute significantly to their concentrations in urine.

Enhanced sensitivity of human oral carcinomas to induction of apoptosis by selenium compounds: involvement of mitogen-activated protein kinase and Fas pathways.

Prospective studies and recent intervention trials suggest that the risk of some cancers, including respiratory tract cancers, may be inversely related to selenium (SE) intake, and this is supported by strong experimental evidence with chemical-induced animal cancer models. How this cancer-protective effect is mediated is unclear, but interference with the balance of growth/apoptosis during tumor outgrowth is one plausible hypothesis. In general, there is a correlation between the effectiveness of SE compounds as chemopreventive agents in vivo and their ability to inhibit cell growth and induce apoptosis in vitro. This study has investigated the signal transduction pathways affected by SE compounds in biopsies of normal human oral mucosa cells and human oral squamous carcinoma cells (SCCs), using a primary culture system. Two SE compounds were tested: selenodiglutathione (SDG), the primary metabolite of selenite and the most commonly used cancer-protective SE compound in animal models, and the synthetic SE compound, 1,4-phenylenebis(methylene)selenocyanate (p-XSC), one of the most potent chemopreventive pharmacological SE compounds. Three novel findings are reported: (a) SCCs were found to be significantly more sensitive to induction of apo ptosis by SDG than normal human oral mucosa cells, though the differences were marginal with p-XSC; (b) both SE compounds induced the expression of Fas ligand (Fas-L) in oral cells to a degree that correlated with the extent of apoptosis induction; and (c) both SDG and p-XSC induced the stress pathway kinases, Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 kinase, at concentrations causing apoptosis; p-XSC, and to a lesser extent SDG, also activated extracellular regulated kinases 1&2 (ERKs 1&2) and protein kinase-B or Akt. To test their functional involvement, the effect of inhibiting each of these pathways on induction of apoptosis by SDG and p-XSC was determined in SCCs. Inhibiting the ERKs 1&2 or Akt pathways with specific chemical inhibitors (PD98059 or LY294002, respectively) did not affect the extent of apoptosis induced by SDG or p-XSC (with the exception of LY294002, which actually enhanced the level of induction of apoptosis by SDG). The JNK pathway appeared to be most important for induction of Fas-L and apoptosis because concentrations of SB202190 that inhibited activation of both the JNK and p38 kinase (but not ERKs 1&2) in SCC reduced the extent of induction of Fas-L and apoptosis by SDG and p-XSC, whereas lower concentrations that inhibited activation only of p38 kinase did not. This was confirmed by the fact that exogenous expression of a dominant negative deletion mutant of c-Jun (TAM67) reduced the induction of both apoptosis and Fas-L by SDG.

Suppressing effects of dietary supplementation of the organoselenium 1,4-phenylenebis(methylene)selenocyanate and the Citrus antioxidant auraptene on lung metastasis of melanoma cells in mice.

The modifying effects of the organoselenium 1,4-phenylenebis(methylene)selenocyanate (p-XSC) and the Citrus antioxidant auraptene as dietary supplements on experimental pulmonary metastasis of B16BL6 murine melanoma cells were investigated in an i.v. injection model in mice. Seven groups of male C57BL/6 mice were fed a basal diet (control group) or the basal diet supplemented with p-XSC (4, 8, or 15 mg/kg) or auraptene (250, 500, or 1000 mg/kg). All mice were fed their respective diet for 2 weeks before and after i.v. injection of 1 x 10(5) viable melanoma cells. At termination of the study, the incidence of lung metastatic tumors was determined. Cross-sectional areas and tumor volumes were analyzed morphometrically. In addition, apoptotic indices of lung metastatic tumors of all groups were counted. The incidences of lung metastasis in mice fed the diet mixed with 8 or 15 mg p-XSC/kg were significantly smaller than that in mice fed the basal diet. The mean numbers of metastatic lung tumors were significantly lower in mice fed p-XSC (4, 8, and 15 mg/kg) and auraptene (500 and 1000 mg/kg) than in controls. Cross-sectional areas and volumes of the tumors were also significantly decreased in mice given p-XSC (8 or 15 mg/kg) and auraptene (500 mg/kg). Apoptotic indices in mice fed the diets mixed with p-XSC (4, 8, or 15 mg/kg) and auraptene (500 and 1000 mg/kg) were significantly greater than those in the control group. These results indicate that in mice, diet supplementation with p-XSC and auraptene reduces pulmonary metastasis of B16BL6 melanoma cells and inhibits the growth of these metastatic tumors in lung, in part, by inducing apoptosis. We suggest that these agents, especially p-XSC, may be valuable in preventing metastatic diseases in future studies in the clinic.

Increased expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in rat lung tumors induced by the tobacco-specific nitrosamine 4-(methylnitrosamino)-4-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone: the impact of a high-fat diet.

Aberrant or excessive expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many disease processes, including carcinogenesis. COX-2 expression was immunohistochemically examined in archival samples (D. Hoffmann et al., Cancer Res., 53: 2758-2761, 1993) of lung neoplasms (adenomas, adenocarcinomas, and adenosquamous carcinomas) induced by 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) in male F344 rats that had been fed either a semipurified AIN-76A diet with high-fat (HF; 23.5% corn oil) or low-fat (LF; 5% corn oil) content. The intensity and extent of COX-2 positivity was graded from 0 (undetectable or negligible expression) to grades 1 (<30% expression), 2 (30-60% expression), 3 (60-90% expression), and 4 (>90% expression). The scoring criteria were similar to those used with specimens from human lung cancers (T. Hida et al., Cancer Res., 58: 3761-3764, 1998). In group 1 (NNK plus HF diet), adenomas, adenocarcinomas, and adenosquamous carcinomas were of mean grades 2, 3, and 4, respectively; in group 2 (NNK plus LF diet), the corresponding mean grades were 1, 1, and 3. Although control rats, given HF (group 3) or LF (group 4) diets but no NNK, developed spontaneous lung tumors, the expression of COX-2 was either negligible (one adenoma of grade 0 in group 3) or of a very low grade (one adenocarcinoma of grade 1 in group 4). In addition, the latency of the tumors in the peripheral lung in assays with NNK is significantly shorter in rats maintained on the HF diet than in those on LF diet. COX-2 expression was not evident in normal lung tissues. We report here for the first time that NNK induces increasingly higher levels of COX-2 expression with progressive stages of lung tumorigenesis when rats are fed the HF diet. The increase in COX-2 expression may be associated with the development of lung tumors induced by NNK. This well-defined animal model is valuable for studying modulation of COX-2 expression in lung carcinogenesis by various factors, including dietary components.

Comparative tumorigenicity of 1-nitropyrene, 1-nitrosopyrene, and 1-aminopyrene administered by gavage to Sprague-Dawley rats.

The carcinogenic activities of 1-nitropyrene, a mutagenic component of diesel exhaust, and its reduced derivatives 1-nitrosopyrene and 1-aminopyrene were evaluated in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Within 24 h of birth, groups of 22-36 rats were treated by gavage with trioctanoin or the appropriate compound in trioctanoin once weekly for 16 weeks. The approximate total doses per rat were as follows: 1-nitropyrene, high dose (800 mumol); 1-nitropyrene, low dose (320 mumol); 1-nitrosopyrene (320 mumol); 1-aminopyrene (320 mumol). The experiment was terminated after 94 weeks. The main site of tumor induction was the mammary glands of female rats. Percentages of incidences of mammary adenocarcinomas in female rats were as follows: 1-nitropyrene, high dose (63%); 1-nitropyrene, low dose (42%); 1-nitrosopyrene (19%); 1-aminopyrene (4%) trioctanoin (3%). These incidences were significantly greater than those of controls for the female rats treated with either 1-nitropyrene or 1-nitrosopyrene. Low and generally insignificant incidences of tumors of a variety of other sites were also observed in rats treated with 1-nitropyrene. The induction of mammary tumors by 1-nitropyrene confirms the results of a previous study (Hirose et al., Cancer Res., 44: 1158-1162, 1984). The present results also demonstrate that, under the conditions of this bioassay, 1-nitropyrene was significantly more carcinogenic than either 1-nitrosopyrene or 1-aminopyrene.

Inhibition of human cytochrome P450-catalyzed oxidations of xenobiotics and procarcinogens by synthetic organoselenium compounds.

The effects of synthetic chemopreventive organoselenium compounds 1,2-, 1,3-, and 1,4-phenylenebis(methylene)selenocyanate (o-, m-, and p-XSC, respectively), benzyl selenocyanate (BSC), and dibenzyl diselenide (DDS) and inorganic sodium selenite on the oxidation of xenobiotics and procarcinogens by human cytochrome P450 (P450 or CYP) enzymes were determined in vitro. Spectral studies showed that BSC and three XSC compounds (but not sodium selenite or DDS) induced type II difference spectrum when added to the suspension of liver microsomes isolated from beta-naphthoflavone-treated rats, with m-XSC being the most potent in inducing spectral interactions with P450 enzymes; m-XSC also produced a type II spectral change with human liver microsomes. o-, m-, and p-XSC inhibited 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylation catalyzed by human liver microsomes when added at concentrations below 1 microM levels, but BSC and DDS were less effective. All of these compounds inhibited the oxidation of model substrates for human P450s to varying extents. We studied the effects of these compounds on the activation of procarcinogens by recombinant human CYP1A1, 1A2, and 1B1 enzymes using Salmonella typhimurium NM2009 tester strain for the detection of DNA damage. The three XSCs were found to be very potent inhibitors of metabolic activation of 3-amino-1,4-dimethyl-5H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole, 2-amino-3,5-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline, and 2-aminoanthracene, catalyzed by CYP1A1, 1A2, and 1B1, respectively. The potency of inhibition of m-XSC on CYP1B1-dependent activation of 2-aminoanthracene was compatible to those of alpha-naphthoflavone. These inhibitory actions may, in part, account for the mechanisms responsible for cancer prevention by organoselenium compounds in laboratory animals.