Effect of dietary selenite on N-nitrosodiethylamine-induced and phenobarbital promoted multistage hepatocarcinogenesis in rat: reflection in some minerals

Hepatic Temporal Gene Expression Profiling in Helicobacter hepaticus-Infected A/JCr Mice

Helicobacter hepaticus infection of A/JCr mice is a model of infectious liver cancer. We monitored hepatic global gene expression profiles in H. hepaticus infected and control male A/JCr mice at 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year of age using an Affymetrix-based oligonucleotide microarray platform on the premise that a specific genetic expression signature at isolated time points would be indicative of disease status. Model based expression index comparisons generated by dChip yielded consistent profiles of differential gene expression for H. hepaticus infected male mice with progressive liver disease versus uninfected control mice within each age group. Linear discriminant analysis and principal component analysis allowed segregation of mice based on combined age and lesion status, or age alone. Up-regulation of putative tumor markers correlated with advancing hepatocellular dysplasia. Transcriptionally down-regulated genes in mice with liver lesions included those related to peroxisome proliferator, fatty acid, and steroid metabolism pathways. In conclusion, transcriptional profiling of hepatic genes documented gene expression signatures in the livers of H. hepaticus infected male A/JCr mice with chronic progressive hepatitis and preneoplastic liver lesions, complemented the histopathological diagnosis, and suggested molecular targets for the monitoring and intervention of disease progression prior to the onset of hepatocellular neoplasia.

Selenium supplementation reduced oxidative stress in diethylnitrosamine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma in rats

Selenium in the form of sodium selenite (SSE) is an essential micronutrient which known to possess antioxidant and anticancer properties. This study emphasizes the role of selenium on oxidative stress in experimental rats with N-diethylnitrosamine (DEN) initiated and 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF) promoted multistage hepatocellular carcinogenesis (HCC). Rats were divided randomly into six groups: negative control, positive control (DEN+2-AAF), preventive group (pre-SEE 4 weeks+DEN), preventive control (respective control for preventive group), therapeutic group (DEN+post-SSE 12 weeks) and therapeutic control (respective control for therapeutic group). SSE (4 mg L(-1)) was given to animals before initiation and during promotion phase of HCC. The levels of total protein (TP), conjugated diens (CD), malondialdehyde (MDA), fluorescent pigment (FP), antioxidant activity (AOA) and DNA damage were measured. Supplementation of SSE before the initiation phase of carcinogenicity significantly increased TP and AOA level (p < 0.05) while it decreased the levels of CD, MDA, DNA damage and FP (p < 0.05). Supplementation of SSE during the promotion phase of carcinogenicity significantly decreased the DNA damage and FP level (p < 0.05) and there were negative correlation between the level of AOA and with the level of FP and CD. Thus, supplementation of SSE reduced the adverse changes which occur in liver cancer. However, the chemoprevention effect of SSE was more pronounced when it was supplemented before initiation phase of cancer when compared to promotion phase.

Supplementation of selenium reduces chemical hepatocarcinogenesis in male Sprague-Dawley rats

Selenium is an essential micronutrient mineral found mainly in soils and has been shown to prevent certain cancers in humans and animals. However, the dose and effects of selenium on liver cancer are controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of sodium selenite (4 mg/kg in drinking water) on chemically induced hepatocarcinogenesis in rats. Hepatocarcinogenesis was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of diethyl nitrosamine (DEN) (200 mg/kg body weight) and 2 weeks later, the carcinogenic effect was promoted by 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF) (0.02%). 44 Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 6 groups: negative control, positive control (DEN+2-AAF), pre-selenium group (sodium selenite for 4 weeks, then DEN+2-AAF), pre-selenium control group (sodium selenite for 4 weeks, no DEN or 2-AAF), post-selenium group (sodium selenite for 8 weeks after 4 weeks of DEN injection) and post-selenium control group (sodium selenite for 8 weeks, no DEN or 2-AAF). Hematoxylin and eosin plus Gordon and Sweet's methods were used to stain liver tissues. The results showed that the number and sizes of hepatic nodules in pre- and post-selenium treatment groups significantly decreased (P<0.05) compared with the positive control. Microscopic analysis of pre- and post-selenium groups showed that the majority of nodules were hyperplastic with preserved liver architecture, whereas the positive control was full of neoplastic nodules with a completely disrupted liver architecture. Hence, pre- and post-selenium treatments can reduce the extent of liver cancer on chemically induced hepatocarcinogenesis in rats.

Effect of berberine on hepatocyte proliferation, inducible nitric oxide synthase expression, cytochrome P450 2E1 and 1A2 activities in diethylnitrosamine- and phenobarbital-treated rats

This study investigated the effect of berberine on the early phase of hepatocarcinogenesis stimulated by diethylnitrosamine (DEN, 150 mg/kg, 4 weeks) plus phenobarbital (PB, 75 mg/kg, 7 days) in rats. The expressions of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. The activities of CYP isoenzymes were analyzed using different probe drugs including chlorzoxazone (CYP2E1) and phenacetin (CYP1A2) by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in vivo or in vitro. Results showed that the expressions of PCNA and iNOS were induced by DEN plus PB in liver tissues. Oral administration of berberine (50mg/kg) inhibited the hepatocyte proliferation and iNOS expression, decreased cytochrome P450 content, inhibited activities of CYP2E1 and CYP1A2 in DEN-plus-PB-treated rats in vivo. Moreover, berberine (10, 50 and 100 microM) inhibited the activities of CYP2E1 and CYP1A2 in microsomes isolated from DEN-plus-PB-treated rats in vitro, suggesting that anti-hepatocarcinogenetic potential of berberine might be due to inhibiting oxidative metabolic activities of CYP 2E1 and CYP1A2, and decreasing NO production in rats.

Application of a two-stage Syrian hamster embryo cell transformation assay to cigarette smoke particulate matter

The induction of transformation in Syrian hamster embryo (SHE) cells is a multifactorial process, in comparison to endpoints induced in in vitro genotoxicity assays such as Ames, mouse lymphoma and cytogenetics [Y. Berwald, L. Sachs, In vitro cell transformation with chemical carcinogens, Nature (London) 200 (1963) 1182-1184]. Furthermore, a number of non-genotoxic carcinogens and promoters such as clofibrate and diethylhexylphthalate, have been positively identified in this assay, while giving false negative results in traditional genotoxicity assays [H. Yamasaki, J. Ashby, M. Bignami, W. Jongen, K. Linnainmaa, R.F. Newbold, G. Nguyen-Ba, S. Parodi, E. Rivedal, D. Schiffmann, J.W.I.M. Simons, P. Vasseur, Nongenotoxic carcinogens: development of detection methods based on mechanisms: a European project, Mutat. Res. 353 (1996) 47-63]. A high concordance between results obtained in this assay when compared with rodent carcinogenesis bioassays has also been noted [R.J. Isfort, G.A. Kerckaert, R.A. LeBoeuf, Comparison of the standard and reduced pH Syrian hamster embryo (SHE) in vitro cell transformation assays to predict the carcinogenic potential of chemicals, Mutat. Res. 356 (1996) 11-63]. Carcinogenesis is known to be a multistage process, with agents potentially acting at each stage. Specifically, mouse skin painting experiments established that tumour induction could be mechanistically divided into two distinct phases, termed initiation and promotion. Initiation, is defined as the stage at which a normal cell is converted to a latent tumour cell, followed by promotion where the latent tumour cell progresses to a tumour [W.F. Friedwald, P. Rous, The initiating and promoting elements in tumour production: analysis of the effects of tar, benzpyrene and methylcholanthrene on rabbit skin, J. Exp. Med. 80 (1944) 101-125]. A protocol for the pH 6.7 SHE transformation assay has been developed which allows separation of cell transformation process into two phases, potentially analogous to initiation and promotion in vivo. This allows chemicals found to be positive in the traditional SHE cell transformation assay to be further classified as initiators or promoters. Following validation with known initiators, benzo(a)pyrene and N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and promoters, 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate and phenobarbitone, the two-stage model was applied to cigarette smoke particulates which was found to act both at the initiation and promotion stage of cell transformation.