In genetic male fetuses, dihydrotestosterone (DHT) plays an important role in normal prostatic and external genital differentiation. The enzyme steroid 5-alpha reductase (5 alpha R) catalyzes the conversion of testosterone (T) to DHT. The importance of 5 alpha R in sexual differentiation is evident from the study of human genetic males who congenitally lack this enzyme and consequently develop ambiguous genitalia. These individuals are specifically deficient in the type 2 isozyme, whereas the normal type 1 isozyme activity has been found. The purpose of this study was to determine 1) the suitability of the rhesus monkey for testing the safety of 5 alpha R inhibitors when administered during pregnancy and 2) the potential risk of administering a known type 2 5 alpha R inhibitor, finasteride, during the critical period of internal and external genital differentiation in rhesus monkeys. In vitro studies were also performed on selected rhesus monkey tissues to determine the distribution of the 5 alpha R isozymes. Gravid monkeys were treated once daily from gestational days (GD) 20 to 100. Sonographic monitoring was performed during the course of gestation to monitor viability, growth, and organ system development. Detailed fetal evaluations for developmental abnormalities were performed at term (GD 152 +/- 2). A group of 13 pregnant monkeys (''positive control'') were given a high oral dose (2 mg/kg/day) of finasteride to demonstrate that inhibiting type 2 5 alpha R results in specific external genital abnormalities in male fetuses. Thirty-two pregnant monkeys were administered an intravenous (IV) formulation of finasteride at doses of 8, 80, or 800 ng/day. The highest IV dose selected was at least 60-750 times the semen levels of finasteride in man given orally 5 or 1 mg/day, respectively. Seventeen vehicle-control pregnant monkeys were also included. Administration of a high oral dose (2 mg/kg/day) of finasteride resulted in external genital abnormalities characterized by hypospadias, preputial adhesions to the glans, a small underdeveloped scrotum, a small penis, and a prominent midline raphe in male fetuses; however, no developmental abnormalities were seen in female fetuses. Similarly, no abnormalities were observed in either male or female fetuses of mothers given IV doses (8, 80, or 800 ng/day) of finasteride during pregnancy. The in utero sonographic findings in fetuses correlated with the gross findings at term. These studies have shown that external genital abnormalities can be produced in male monkey fetuses when exposed to a high oral dose (2 mg/kg/day) of finasteride, whereas no abnormalities were observed in fetuses exposed to the IV formulation of finasteride. Detailed in vitro studies demonstrated that the rhesus monkey also has two 5 alpha R isozymes (types 1 and 2) with a tissue distribution similar to that seen in man and, furthermore, that finasteride is a potent, mechanism-based inhibitor with selectivity for both human and rhesus type 2 5 alpha R. These studies have demonstrated that the monkey is a suitable model for assessing the safety of 5 alpha R inhibitors administered during pregnancy. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of 2 different 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (finasteride and MK-0434) on the glandular and stromal compartments of hyperplastic canine prostates. In this study, dogs received 1 of the 2 compounds orally, at a dose of 1 mg/kg/day for 16 weeks; control dogs received a placebo. The morphological changes in the glandular and stromal compartments in the prostate were quantitated by a point-counting method on Masson's trichrome-stained sections. Treatment with 5-alpha reductase inhibitors resulted in significant (P < or = 0.05) decreases in mean prostatic volumes, microscopic evidence of prostatic atrophy, and significant (P < or = 0.05) decreases in the absolute volumes of the prostatic glandular and stromal compartments compared to controls. In finasteride-treated dogs, the mean percent change from baseline was: epithelium, -52; lumens, -58; fibrovascular stroma, -41; and smooth muscle, -29. In MK-0434-treated dogs, the mean percent change from baseline was: epithelium, -77; lumens, -58; fibrovascular stroma, -38; and smooth muscle, -42. The effect on the glandular compartment in dogs treated with MK-0434 was slightly greater than in dogs treated with finasteride; however, the effect on the stroma was similar. These results clearly demonstrate that inhibition of 5-alpha reductase enzyme activity affects growth and maintenance of both glandular and stromal compartments of dog hyperplastic prostates. It is likely that the decrease in size of the prostate in finasteride-treated (Proscar) men is due to shrinkage of both glandular and stromal compartments.

We investigated the role of dosing regimen on ras mutations in chemically induced CD-1 mouse liver tumors. The spectra of ras gene mutations in liver tumors that were induced by 15 daily i.p. injections of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA), 4-aminoazobenzene (AAB), N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene (N-OH-AAF) or N-nitrosodiethylamine (DEN) were compared to those previously obtained for tumors induced by a single but higher dose of each carcinogen, The principal assay used was a direct tumor analysis involving sequencing of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified tumor DNA; additional mutations that were present in only a small fraction of tumor cells were detected using a transfection assay or a PCR-engineered restriction fragment length polymorphism method, Spontaneous liver tumors had a relatively low frequency of ras mutations, all found in Ha-ras codon 61, and most of these mutations were present in only a small fraction of tumor cells, With the exception of multiple-dose DEN, each group of single- and multiple-dose carcinogen-induced tumors exhibited a higher frequency of ras mutations compared with spontaneous tumors. For AAB, N-OH-AAF and DEN, the dosing regimen was found to affect significantly the profile of ras mutations, For each of these carcinogens, the multiple-dose tumor group (versus single-dose group) had fewer Ki-ras and N-ras mutations and more tumors in which the Ha-ras codon 61 (C --> A) mutation was present in a large fraction of cells, Our results demonstrate that the dosing procedure can materially affect the pattern of ras gene mutation in mouse liver tumors.

We investigated whether somatic rearrangements in minisatellite DNA are more frequent in chemically induced mouse liver tumors than they are in spontaneous tumors. CD-1 mouse liver tumors were induced by either a single dose or 15 consecutive daily doses of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene, 4-aminoazobenzene, N-hydroxy-2-acetyl-aminofluorene or diethylnitrosoamine (DEN). Using DNA fingerprinting analysis, we found that the single- and multiple-dose carcinogen treatments caused a 2- to 5-fold higher frequency of minisatellite DNA rearrangements compared with that found in spontaneous tumors-with the exception of single-dose DEN tumors, which showed no increase in rearrangements. Our results suggest that DNA fingerprinting may be a valuable assay for differentiating certain chemically induced tumors from spontaneous tumors.

Finasteride is a selective inhibitor of the enzyme 5 alpha-reductase which is responsible for the conversion of testosterone (T) to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Finasteride is indicated for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia in man (approximately 0.1 mg/kg/day). The effect of long-term treatment was studied in mice given high doses (2.5, 25, and 250 mg/kg/day) of finasteride for 83 weeks. In finasteride-treated mice, increased incidences of testicular Leydig cell hyperplasia (52% compared to 24% in control group) at doses equal to or greater than 25 mg/kg/day and Leydig cell adenomas (32% compared to 0.5% in control group) at 250 mg/kg/day were observed. There were no drug-related effects on the seminiferous tubules. Since luteinizing hormone (LH) is a trophic hormone for Leydig cells, short-term studies (5 to 14 weeks) were done to investigate the relationship between Leydig cell hyperplasia and serum LH levels in finasteride-treated mice. In these studies, there was a positive correlation between the drug-related increased incidence of Leydig cell hyperplasia and a statistically significant (p < or = 0.05) increase in serum LH levels in finasteride-treated (250 mg/kg/day) mice. Furthermore, studies in castrated male mice showed that the suppression of serum LH levels by T is reversible by inhibition of conversion of T to DHT with finasteride (250 mg/kg/day), supporting the hypothesis that DHT is involved in the regulation of LH release in mice.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Objective. To determine any potential direct and/or indirect effects of elevated intraprostatic T levels on the prostates of rats chronically (1-2 years) exposed to high doses (160 mg/kg/day) of finasteride, a selective inhibitor of 5-alpha reductase.Methods. Sprague-Dawley male rats were administered daily finasteride by oral gavage. Prostates from all rats were weighed, fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin, and processed for light microscopic examination. The volume fractions of the prostatic glandular and stromal compartments were quantitated by morphometric analysis.Results. Administration of finasteride at doses of 20, 40, and 80 mg/kg/day for one year resulted in a significant (P less-than-or-equal-to 0.05) decrease in prostatic weight; prostatic atrophy was evident by light microscopy. Morphometric analysis of the prostate showed that chronic finasteride administration resulted in a significant (P less-than-or-equal-to 0.001) decrease in the absolute volume of both glandular (-65.2%) and stromal (-57.1 %) compartments of the prostate. Furthermore, the total number of epithelial and stromal cells per gland were significantly (P less-than-or-equal-to 0.002) decreased in finasteride-treated rats compared with vehicle controls; the magnitude of mean decrease was 69.8 percent and 50.6 percent of controls in epithelial and stromal cells, respectively. In addition, prostates from all two hundred fifty rats in a two-year study were qualitatively evaluated by light microscopy. Administration of finasteride at doses ranging from 2.5 mg/kg/day to 160 mg/kg/day for two years did not result in an increase over the background incidence of prostatic focal hyperplasia or adenoma. No malignant tumors of the prostate were seen in any of the groups.Conclusions. These studies have demonstrated that the expected pharmacologic effects of finasteride on the prostate are maintained following chronic treatment and that there was no evidence of a direct and/or an indirect effect of elevated intraprostatic T on prostatic morphology in rats.

Young mature dogs received finasteride, a selective 5α‐reductase inhibitor, orally at 0, 5, 15, and 45 mg/kg/day for 27 or 53 weeks. The effect of finasteride administration on prostatic size and morphology was evaluated macroscopically and microscopically. Changes in glandular and fibromuscular compartments were quantitated by a point counting method on trichrome‐stained sections. Finasteride administration induced a decrease of mean prostatic weights and epithelial atrophy in all treated groups. No changes in testicular weights and morphology were observed. The greatest prostatic shrinkage was obtained in the group receiving 45 mg/kg/day for 53 weeks; compared to placebo controls, the percent decreases in absolute volumes occupied by epithelium, lumens, fibrovascular stroma, and smooth muscle were 88, 97, 51 and 72, respectively. These results clearly demonstrate that prostatic shrinkage following finasteride administration results from a decrease in both glandular and fibromuscular compartments. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

As part of an evaluation of the effectiveness of using ras mutation analysis for distinguishing carcinogen‐induced from spontaneous tumors, we examined the profile of ras gene point mutations in spontaneous, 7,12‐dimethylbenz[ a ]anthracene (DMBA)‐induced, and N‐nitrosodiethylamine (DEN)‐induced lung tumors from Crl:CD‐1(ICR)BR (CD‐1) mice. Although all of the lung tumors were assayed for mutations in the Ha‐ ras , Ki‐ ras , and N‐ ras genes (codons 12, 13, and 61), only Ki‐ ras mutations were found, which is consistent with other studies that have noted a strong preference for Ki‐ ras gene activation in mouse, rat, and human lung tumors. We found that spontaneous CD‐1 mouse lung tumors had a very high frequency of Ki‐ ras gene activation (17 of 20 tumors; 85%), distributed among codons 12 (5 of 20), 13 (1 of 20), and 61(11 of 20). DMBA‐induced lung tumors had a slightly higher frequency of Ki‐ ras gene mutations (16 of 16; 100%), again distributed among codons 12(5 of 16), 13 (2 of 16), and 61(9 of 16). However, seven of the DMBA tumors had mutations qualitatively different from those found in spontaneous tumors. In contrast to DMBA‐induced tumors, DEN‐induced tumors had a lower frequency of Ki‐ ras mutations (36%) when compared with spontaneous lung tumors, suggesting that DEN primarily induces lung carcinogenesis by a mechanism other than ras gene activation. Thus, although spontaneous and induced CD‐1 mouse lung tumors have a strong tissue‐specific preference for carrying an activated Ki‐ ras gene, the nature of the initiating carcinogen can influence the frequency or profile of Ki‐ ras mutations. © 1992 wiley‐Liss, inc.

Inactivating point mutations and small deletions in the p53 tumor suppressor gene have been found in human liver and lung tumor--derived cell lines and tumors. However, little evidence has been reported concerning inactivation or mutation of the p53 gene in mouse primary tumors. To examine CD-1 mouse liver and lung tumors for mutations in the p53 gene, we first sequenced p53 introns 5-8 so that polymerase chain reaction amplification and sequencing primers located within the introns could be prepared. Use of these primers prevented amplification of the mouse p53 pseudogene and allowed sequencing of exons 5-8 in their entirety as well as their intron-exon junctions. DNA isolated from CD-1 mouse tumors was amplified and directly sequenced using nested primers. Nine spontaneous hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) and 34 chemically induced HCCs (induced by single intraperitoneal injections of N-nitrosodiethylamine [DEN] [8 HCCs], 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene [DMBA] [8 HCCs], 4-aminoazobenzene [8 HCCs], and N-OH-2-acetylaminofluorene [10 HCCs]) were examined for mutations in exons 5-8 of the p53 gene. In addition, 12 spontaneous, 10 DMBA-induced, and 13 DEN-induced lung adenocarcinomas or adenomas were analyzed for mutations. No mutations were found in any of the tumors examined. However, a mutation was demonstrated at codon 135 in the positive-control plasmid LTRp53cG(val). The results of this study suggest that inactivation of p53 is unlikely to play a major role in murine lung or liver carcinogenesis. However, inactivation of p53 may occur at a very low frequency, or it may occur as a late event and therefore be present in only a very small number of the tumor cells, rendering it undetectable by this method. Lastly, although few p53-inactivating mutations are found outside of exons 5-8 in human tumors, it is possible that these murine tumors contained mutations outside of this region and were therefore missed by our approach.

We compared the profile of ras gene mutations in spontaneous CD-1 mouse liver tumors with that found in liver tumors that were induced by a single i.p. injection of either 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA), 4-aminoazobenzene, N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene, or N-nitrosodiethylamine. By direct sequencing of polymerase chain reaction-amplified tumor DNA, the carcinogen-induced tumors were found to have much higher frequencies of ras gene activation than spontaneous tumors. Furthermore, each carcinogen caused specific types of ras mutations not detected in spontaneous tumors, including several novel mutations not previously associated with either the carcinogen or mouse hepatocarcinogenesis. For example, the model compound DMBA is known to cause predominantly A to T transversions in Ha-ras codon 61 in mouse skin and mammary tumors, consistent with the ability of DMBA to form bulky adducts with adenosine. Our results demonstrate that the predominant mutation caused by DMBA in mouse liver tumors is a G to C transversion in Ki-ras codon 13 (DMBA is also known to form guanosine adducts), illustrating the influence of both chemical- and tissue-specific factors in determining the type of ras gene mutations in a tumor. 4-Aminoazobenzene and N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene also caused the Ki-ras codon 13 mutation. In addition, we found that N-nitrosodiethylamine, 4-aminoazobenzene, and N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene all caused G to T transversions in the N-ras gene (codons 12 or 13). This is the first demonstration of N-ras mutations in mouse liver tumors, establishing a role for the N-ras gene in mouse liver carcinogenesis. Finally, comparison of the ras mutations detected in the direct tumor analysis with those detected after NIH3T3 cell transfection indicates that spontaneous ras mutations (in Ha-ras codon 61) are often present in only a small fraction of the tumor cells, raising the possibility that they may sometimes occur as a late event in CD-1 mouse hepatocarcinogenesis.

Late effects of total body irradiation and subsequent autologous bone marrow transplantation on the development of age-related monoclonal gammapathies (MG) were studied in 14 long-term surviving Rhesus monkeys. Together with 27 untreated control monkeys, they have been followed up for more than 20 years. In contrast with the control group, the experimental monkeys developed MG with aging in higher frequencies, earlier and mainly of the benign MG category. One experimental monkey developed a multiple myeloma, the first observed in the nonhuman primates so far. These results indicate an accelerated senescence of the immune system in the experimental monkeys as a late consequence of tissue or cell damage during irradiation.

Determining to what degree chemicals and environmental agents contribute to the development of cancer would be materially enhanced by the ability to distinguish chemically induced tumors from those that arise spontaneously. Using DNA fingerprinting as an assay, we investigated whether somatic DNA rearrangements are more frequent in chemically induced mouse liver tumors than they are in spontaneous mouse liver tumors. Tumors were induced by a single i.p. injection of 12-day old male Crl:CD-1(ICR)BR (CD-1) mice with 20 nmol/g 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]-anthracene and were harvested 9 to 12 months after injection. Spontaneous tumors were obtained from 94- to 98-week old male CD-1 mice. We detected 8 rearrangements in 14 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-induced tumors, which corresponds to a high rearrangement frequency of about 2% (of the minisatellite bands examined). Furthermore, 6 of these rearrangements included complete band losses which must have occurred early in tumor development. However, only 2 band changes were observed in 15 spontaneous tumors, and both changes were intensity shifts which may represent rearrangements that occurred later during tumor progression. Histological examination showed that the higher frequency of rearrangements in 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-induced tumors versus spontaneous tumors was not related to differences in the degree of tumor progression or malignancy. Our results suggest that DNA fingerprinting may be a valuable assay for differentiating certain chemically induced tumors from spontaneous tumors.

This chapter discusses spontaneously occurring renal diseases in laboratory animals. Spontaneously occurring renal diseases are common in laboratory animals. However, the diseases vary with each species examined. The chapter also discusses the importance of knowing the background disease patterns in laboratory animals. Knowing the background diseases in a species or strain of animal will aid an investigator in selecting or avoiding a given species for experiments. Such knowledge is also important to understand the similarities or differences between animal and human renal diseases. In some cases, the renal diseases in animals are identical to a human disease whereas in other cases, the diseases in animals have no human counterpart. An example of a disease occurring in animals but not in humans is the chronic renal disease of rats. All rat strains develop chronic renal disease. The cause is unknown, but it is rat-specific with no counterpart in humans. The renal anatomy, histology, and physiology of laboratory animals and humans are similar but not identical. Laboratory animals have a single renal papilla in contrast to humans where there are several conical regions called pyramids. Like humans, animals have a uniform tan to brown color and a smooth glistening capsular surface of the kidney. The functional unit of the kidney is the nephron and the distal tubule is connected to a system of collecting ducts. The nephrons and collecting ducts arise from different embryological primordial. The glomerulus consists of a tuft of capillaries enclosed within Bowman's capsule. The capillaries are lined by thin endothelium and a thin visceral layer of epithelium.

An overview is given of the effects of X-irradiation, ovariohysterectomy and estradiol-17β administration on mammary tumorigenesis in females of 3 rat strains, viz. the WAG/Rij, BN/BiRij and SD. The 3 rat strains differed significantly in their spontaneous mammary tumor incidence. Female SD rats had the highest incidence (47%) and female BN/BiRij rats the lowest (17%). Female WAG/Rij rats had an intermediate incidence of 29%. The benign/malignant ratio in female WAG/Rij, BN/BiRij and SD rats was 1.0, 2.0 and 7.3, respectively. The average number of mammary gland neoplasms per untreated tumor-bearing female was 1.2 in the WAG/Rij, 1.0 in the BN/BiRij and 1.6 in the SD, whereas the respective maximum numbers were 2, 1 and 5. Ovariohysterectomy almost entirely prevented mammary tumor formation in all 3 rat strains, whereas estrogen treatment enhanced it. In addition, estrogen treatment resulted in an increased number of mammary tumors per tumor-bearing female and changed the benign/malignant ratio into the direction of malignant. X-irradiation increased the mammary tumor incidence in all 3 rat strains, especially of the benign tumors. Estrogen potentiated the effect of irradiation. An effect of irradiation on mammary tumorigenesis was not observed in ovariohysterectomized females of all 3 rat strains.

A continuous line of somatostatin-producing medullary thyroid carcinoma cells was established from a transplantable tumour in BALB/c mice. Virtually all of the somatostatin immunoreactivity co-chromatographed with somatostatin 14. The tumour cells replicated in spinner cultures with a doubling time of approximately 4 days, and the concentration of somatostatin released into the culture medium increased in proportion to the number of cells. Two- to threefold increases in amounts of stored and released somatostatin were observed after treatment of the cells with bromodeoxyuridine. This cell line might be valuable for studies of somatostatin regulation in normal and neoplastic C-cells, and for other studies of C-cell biology which require a mouse model.

Cancer induction is generally considered to be the most important somatic effect of low doses of ionizing radiation. It is therefore of great concern to assess the quantitative cancer risk of exposure to radiations of different quality and to obtain information on the dose-response relationships for carcinogenesis. Tissues in the human with a high sensitivity for cancer induction include the bone marrow, the lung, the thyroid and the breast in women. If the revised dosimetry estimates for the Japanese survivors of the atomic bomb explosions are correct, there is no useful data base left to derive r.b.e. values for human carcinogenesis. As a consequence, it will be necessary to rely on results obtained in biological systems, including experimental animals, for these estimates. With respect to radiation protection, the following aspects of experimental studies on radiation carcinogenesis are of relevance: Assessment of the nature of dose-response relationships. Determination of the relative biological effectiveness of radiations of different quality. Effects of fractionation or protraction of the dose on tumour development. For the analysis of tumour data in animals, specific approaches have to be applied which correct for competing risks. These methods include actuarial estimates, non-parametric models and analytical models. The dose-response curves for radiation-induced cancers in different tissues vary in shape. This is exemplified by studies on myeloid leukaemia in mice and mammary neoplasms in different rat strains. The results on radiation carcinogenesis in animal models clearly indicate that the highest r.b.e. values are observed for neutrons with energies between 0.5 and 1 MeV. On the basis of such results it might be concluded that the maximum quality factor of 10 for neutrons should be increased. Based on current evidence, an increase by a factor of 2 to 3 seems more realistic than a tenfold rise. The diversity of dose-response relationships point to different mechanisms involved in the induction of different tumours in various species and even in different strains of the same species.