Alkaline comet assay in liver and stomach, and micronucleus assay in bone marrow, from rats treated with 2-acetylaminofluorene, azidothymidine, cisplatin, or isobutyraldehyde.

As part of the Japanese Center for the Validation of Alternative Methods (JaCVAM) initiative international validation study of the in vivo rat alkaline comet assay (comet assay), we examined the ability of the assay to determine the genotoxicity of 2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF), azidothymidine (AZT), cisplatin (CPN), and isobutyraldehyde (IBA) in liver and glandular stomach of male Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats were given oral doses of test compound or control once daily for three days. High dose levels were approximately maximum tolerated doses and were based on preliminary range-finding studies. Tissues were harvested 3h after the final dose (48h after the initial dose). A bone marrow micronucleus assay (MN) was also conducted on the rats treated with AZT, CPN, and IBA. Acute toxic effects of treatment were determined primarily through histomorphologic analysis of liver and stomach but also by body weight and serum liver enzyme changes. The comet assay was conducted on fresh tissue preparations but frozen samples from two studies were also assayed. Statistically significant dose-related differences in comet % DNA in tail were found in liver and stomach for the genotoxin AZT and in liver for the genotoxin CPN, but not in liver or stomach for the non-genotoxin IBA. Statistically significant differences in % DNA in tail were measured in liver for the low and mid dose of the genotoxin AAF, but not the high dose. The comet assays of frozen liver suspensions from CPN- and AAF-treated rats yielded comparable results to the assays of fresh preparations. There were no indications of significant toxicity induced by any treatment. The micronucleus assay was positive for CPN and AZT and negative for IBA. In conclusion, the in vivo comet assay is capable of detecting genotoxic effects of a variety of chemicals and may fill an important role in the genotoxicity test battery.

Murine hepatic p53, RB, and CDK inhibitory protein expression following acute 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) exposure.

This study examined the expression of murine hepatic tumor suppressor and cell cycle inhibitory proteins in response to acute 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) dosing in Balb/c mice. Elevations in expression of p53, retinoblastoma (Rb) protein, p16Ink4, p21Waf1 and p27Kip1 were observed six days after a single dose of 0.25, 0.5, 1 or 2 micrograms TCDD/kg. These data suggest that the TCDD-induced inhibition of hepatocyte proliferation in vivo could be attributed to the expression of cell cycle inhibitory proteins.

Discordant hepatic expression of the cell division control enzyme p34cdc2 kinase, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, p53 tumor suppressor protein, and p21Waf1 cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitory protein after WY14,643 ([4-chloro-6-(2,3-xylidino)-2-pyrimidinylthio]acetic acid) dosing to rats.

The hepatocarcinogen and peroxisome proliferator WY14,643 ([4-chloro-6-(2,3-xylidino)-2-pyrimidinylthio]acetic acid) was examined for its ability to induce changes in the intracellular protein expression of hepatic p34cdc2 kinase (CDK1), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), p53 tumor suppressor protein, and p21Waf1 CDK inhibiting protein. Young adult male rats were administered 45 mg-kg/day WY14,643 intraperitoneally for 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 days or fed diets containing 0% or 0.08% WY14,643 for 1, 2, 3, or 4 weeks. WY14,643 dosing increased concentrations of hepatic proteins of 34- and 37-kDa molecular mass, which were identified through immunoprecipitation as CDK1 and PCNA, respectively. Gel filtration of the hepatic S9 fractions determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay confirmed the increased expression of CDK1 and PCNA immunoreactivity in livers from WY14,643-treated rats. Also, gel filtration revealed that the native CDK1 and PCNA in hepatic S9 from WY14,643-treated rats chromatographed as a major peak with an apparent molecular mass of 70 and 76 kDa, respectively. Immunoblotting of the 70-kDa fraction with anti-CDK1 revealed a single band of molecular mass of 34 kDa. Thus, the CDK1 in the major immunoreactive peak of WY14,643-treated rat liver S9 seems to exist as a heterodimer or homodimer. Immunohistochemistry of formalin-fixed liver demonstrated a cytosolic localization of immunoreactive CDK1 and nuclear localization of immunoreactive PCNA in proliferating cells of WY14,643-treated rat livers. WY14,643 increased hepatic CDK1 content by 1.9-6.3-fold through postdosing days 1-5. Hepatic PCNA content was increased 1.9-5-fold over the same period. In the 4-week feeding study, CDK1 and PCNA expression were increased at all weekly time points by an average of 15-50-fold, respectively. Furthermore, the dietary administration of 0.08% WY14,643 resulted in sustained, overexpression of hepatic p53 tumor suppressor protein from week 1 through week 4 and of p21Waf1 CDK inhibitory protein from week 3 to week 4.

Whole-blood platelet aggregation, buccal mucosa bleeding time, and serum cephalothin concentration in dogs receiving a presurgical antibiotic protocol.

Whole-blood platelet aggregation (using the impedance method) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) release, buccal mucosal bleeding time (BT), and serum cephalothin concentration were measured in 21 adult female Beagles before (PRE) and 1 hour (1 HR) after IV administration of cephalothin (22 mg/kg). A second injection of cephalothin (22 mg/kg) was given 3 hours after the first, and blood samples were obtained 1 hour (4 HR, 4 hours after the first injection) and 3 hours (6 HR, 6 hours after the first injection) after the second injection. Samples of jugular blood were obtained from each dog, using citrate as an anticoagulant. A platelet count was obtained for each sample. Platelet aggregation and ATP released from the aggregating platelets were measured within 1 hour of sample collection, using a whole-blood aggregometer. Adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and collagen were used as aggregating agents. Aggregation was measured over 6 minutes for each aggregating agent; ATP release in response to collagen, but not to ADP, was measured over the same period. For 1 HR samples, there was a significant (P < 0.01) reduction from PRE values in the ability of platelets to aggregate in response to ADP. Bleeding time was determined, using a published procedure, with each dog as its own control. Bleeding time during the same period was found to be significantly increased over PRE values for 1 HR (P < 0.01) and 6 HR (P < 0.02) samples. There was no significant difference between BT for 1 HR and 4 HR samples.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A fibrosarcoma in the skeletal muscle of a capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris).

An 8-yr-old male capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), a resident of an urban zoological collection in upstate New York (USA), had a mass posteroventral to its left stifle; it was of unknown duration. The mass was a fibrosarcoma based on invasive sheets of interwoven spindle-shaped neoplastic cells with moderate associated extracellular matrix composed of collagen fibers. Supportive immunohistochemical staining was positive for vimentin but negative for cytokeratins, desmin, and myoglobin. The animal subsequently died of unknown causes. This is the first known report of a neoplasm in a capybara.