Short-term biomarkers of tumor promotion in mouse skin treated with petroleum middle distillates.

Topical application of certain petroleum middle distillates (PMD) to mice produces skin tumors after long latency, and initiation/promotion protocols indicate that this effect is associated with their tumor promoting activity. Since induction of sustained, potentiated epidermal hyperplasia is predictive of promoting activity, five compositionally distinct PMD [hydrodesulfurized kerosene (API 81-07); hydrodesulfurized PMD (API 81-10); odorless light petroleum hydrocarbons; severely hydrotreated light vacuum distillate (LVD); and lightly refined paraffinic oil (LRPO)] were assessed for their effects on epidermal hyperplasia. PMD were administered (2 x/week for 2 weeks) to skin of CD-1 mice. Four quantitative biomarkers of epidermal hyperplasia were evaluated: epidermal thickness, number of nucleated epidermal cells per unit length of basement membrane, labeling (BrdUrd) index of epidermal cells, and induction of epidermal ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity. As positive controls, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) and n-dodecane were utilized. PMD-induced skin irritation was evaluated visually and/or histopathologically. All five PMD produced dose-dependent, skin irritation and epidermal hyperplasia. On a weight basis the magnitude of the maximal PMD-induced effects was similar to that produced by n-dodecane, but > 1000-fold less than that produced by TPA. Epidermal hyperplasia and subacute skin irritancy produced by the five PMD were similar. Of the four short-term markers of tumor promotion assessed, labeling index and epidermal ODC activity were predictive of the relative promoting activities of those PMD for which tumorigenicity bioassay data are available, i.e., API 81-07 > API 81-10 > LRPO. An apparent discrepancy to the predictability of epidermal ODC activity occurred with LRPO:toluene [1:1 (v/v)]. This mixture is nontumorigenic, yet significantly induced epidermal ODC activity. This mixture, however, produced severe epidermal toxicity that precluded any meaningful analysis of short-term biomarkers in relationship to biological activity.

Alteration of Kupffer cell function and morphology by low melt point paraffin wax in female Fischer-344 but not Sprague-Dawley rats.

This study was conducted to compare the effects of 60-day dietary exposure (2%) to low melt point paraffin wax (LMPW) on both general liver morphology and Kupffer cell (KC) function and morphology in female F-344 and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Livers from only F-344 rats fed LMPW had granuloma formation/lymphoid cell aggregates with small areas of necrosis. Significant increases in serum alanine and aspartate aminotransferase as well as gamma-glutamyltransferase activities were detected only in treated F-344 rats. Additionally, detectable amounts of LMPW were present only in livers of treated F-344 rats. Because KC can be involved in granuloma formation, their morphology and function were examined. Electron microscopy revealed the presence of large, irregularly shaped, membrane-associated vacuoles in cells isolated from F-344 rats exposed to LMPW. These vacuoles were not seen in KC from control rats and rarely detected in KC isolated from LMPW-exposed SD rats. Moreover, indices of KC function including phagocytic activity and nitric oxide and superoxide anion production were significantly increased by KC isolated from F-344 rats exposed to LMPW (1.6-, 36-, and 2.2-fold increases, respectively) over untreated controls. In contrast, LPS-stimulated production of TNF and LTB4 was significantly decreased only in KC of LMPW-fed F-344 rats. No significant changes in these functions were observed in KC isolated from SD rats exposed to LMPW or from KC isolated from control F-344 or SD rats. These data provide evidence that dietary LMPW alters the morphology and functional capacity of KC of F-344 but not SD rats and these changes may ultimately lead to granuloma formation.

Time course of hepatic injury and recovery following coadministration of carbon tetrachloride and trichloroethylene in Fischer-344 rats.

Simultaneous administration of trichloroethylene (TCE), at an oral dose of 0.5 ml/kg, resulted in a marked potentiation of liver injury caused by an oral dose of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4, 0.05 ml/kg). Hepatic glutathione levels were depressed at 24 hr only in the rats given TCE and CCl4. Using serum enzyme (ALT and SDH) as indicators of hepatotoxicity, potentiation of CCl4-injury was most apparent at 24 hr. Upon histological examination of H&E stained liver sections, the differences between livers obtained from TCE and CCl4-treated rats versus CCl4-treated rats were most apparent at later time points (48 and 72 hr). At 48 hr after CCl4, livers showed a distinctive and uniform pattern of injury with regeneration features predominating over necrosis. At this time, livers from TCE and CCl4-treated rats were characterized by extensive zone 3 coagulative necrosis. Inflammatory infiltrations were less prominent. At 72 hr, morphological features of livers from TCE and CCl4 rats were similar to those from rats given CCl4 alone at 48 hr. From the results obtained, it appears that the regenerative activity of the liver may be delayed in rats simultaneously administered TCE and CCl4 as compared to rats administered only CCl4.

Pretreatment with drinking water solutions containing trichloroethylene or chloroform enhances the hepatotoxicity of carbon tetrachloride in Fischer 344 rats.

Previous studies have demonstrated that various compounds, including the common groundwater contaminants trichloroethylene (TCE) and chloroform (CHCl3), can produce a synergistic toxic response when coadministered with the model hepatotoxicant carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). This phenomenon has not, however, been demonstrated following administration of these compounds in drinking water. Initial experiments indicated that Fischer 344 (F-344) rats were significantly more sensitive to these effects than the more commonly utilized Sprague-Dawley strain. To establish the suitability of this strain as a model, a variety of indicators of hepatotoxicity was evaluated and compared to histological evidence of injury 24 hr after dosing with CCl4 or a combination of CCl4 + TCE. Plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity was the most reliable indicator of hepatic injury and was well-correlated with the histologic data. Dose-response studies utilizing simultaneous ip dosing confirm the sensitivity of the F-344 rat, demonstrating synergistic toxicity at doses as low as 0.165 mmol/kg of CCl4 and 0.6 mmol/kg of TCE. Synergism was also detected following simultaneous ip administration of 1 mmol/kg CCl4 and 0.5 mmol/kg of CHCl3. To evaluate the effects of drinking water exposure, rats were pretreated for 3 days with solutions containing TCE (0-40 mM) or CHCl3 (0-8 mM) stabilized with 1% Emulphor (EL-620P) as their only source of fluids. A single, ip dose of CCl4 (1 mmol/kg) was then administered and 24 hr later animals were killed for examination of liver histology and determination of ALT activity. Although none of the pretreatments were detectably hepatoxic, rats which drank 15 and 40 mM TCE or 8 mM CHCl3 exhibited an enhanced response to CCl4.

Cardiac blood pH as a possible indicator of postmortem interval.

Postmortem changes in the pH of blood and selected tissues in rats were evaluated at intervals ranging from 2 min to 96 h. Cardiac blood pH was significantly and reproducibly decreased in all groups at all postmortem intervals, independent of the method of sacrifice used. A preliminary study using cardiac blood obtained at autopsy from a limited number (n = 11) of human subjects demonstrated a significant negative correlation (r = -0.908, P less than 0.01) between postmortem interval (range 2 to 20 h) and cardiac blood pH.