Enhancement of GST-P positive liver cell foci development by a medium-term carcinogenicity bioassay using repeated administration of d-galactosamine

This study was performed for developing a new medium-term carcinogenicity bioassay treated with d-galactosamine (DGA) as a non-surgical method without partial hepatectomy (PH). In male F344 rats initiated with diethylnitrosamine (DEN, 200 mg/kg i.p.), enhancing effects of DGA (300 mg/kg i.p.) given twice 3 weeks apart during the promotion procedure with 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF, 0.01% in diet) were compared along with those of PH by analyzing preneoplastic glutathione S-transferase placental form positive (GST-P+) hepatocyte foci as endpoint marker lesions. The DGA treatment did not affect the body weight gain whereas the PH treatment caused a transient body weight loss. Although both bioassay protocols were effective to detect the potential hepatocarcinogenicity of 2-AAF, the number and area of GST-P positive foci per cm2 were larger in the bioassay using DGA than in that using PH, the number being statistically significant (P<0.05). Our results thus suggest that the present bioassay protocol with repeated administration of DGA instead of PH may offer a new and sensitive method to screen large numbers of environmental carcinogens.