Effects of Antitumor Agents on the Duodenum of Mouse Implanted with Ehrlich Carcinoma Cells: An Autoradiographic Study

Ko, Jeong Sik; Ahn, E Tay; Park, Kyung Ho

Abstract

This experiment was performed to evaluate the morphological responses of the intestinal gland of the mouse duodenum inoculated with Ehrlich carcinoma cells, following administration of 5-fluorouracil, mitomycin C or CP -2. Healthy adult ICR mice weighing 25 gm each were divided into normal and experimental groups. In the experimental groups, each mouse was inoculated with 1 x10(7) Ehrlich carcinoma cells subcutaneously in the inguinal area. From the next day of inoculation, 0.2 mL of saline (experimental control group), 5-fluorouracil (30 mg/kg), mitomycin C (400 microgram/ kg) or CP -2 (30 mg/kg) were injected subcutaneously to the animals every other day, respectively. The day following the 7th injection of anticancer drugs, each mouse was injected with a single dose of 0.7 microCi/g of methyl -(3)H-thymidine (25 Ci/mmol) through tail vein. Seventy minutes after the thymidine injection, animals were sacrificed. The number of the labeled epithelial cells of the duodenal crypts (mean number of labeled epithelial cells per 3.5 mm length of mucosa) were observed and calculated. On histological study, in the duodenum of mitomycin C treated groups, narrowed intestinal gland, a number of the nectotic epithelial nuclei and loosely arranged lamina propria were observed. However, in the CP-2 treated group, morphological changes of the duodenum were not observed. On autoradiographic study, number of the labeled cells of normal control, experimental control, CP-2 treated, 5-fluorouracil treated and mitomycin C treated groups were 625.5 +/-58.85, 691.3 +/-82.32, 428.3 +/-83.16, 527.5 +/-79.84 and 297.33 +/-45.72, respectively. In the CP-2 and mitomycin C treated group, poorly-labeled cells containing only a few silver grains of (3)H-thymidine were observed more frequently than in those of the normal control group. From the above results, CP-2 and mitomycin C are more suppressed the DNA synthesis of the cells of the duodenal crypts as compare with 5-fluorouracil. But CP-2 does not result any histological defect on the duodenal mucosa. These results suggest that CP-2 is expected as one of most effective anticancer drugs.