Comparison between DNA adduct formation and tumorigenesis in livers and bladders of mice chronically fed 2-acetylaminofluorene.

Female BALB/c mice continuously fed 2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF) develop liver and bladder tumors. The incidence of liver tumors is linearly related to the carcinogen concentration in the diet, while the tumor response in the bladder is markedly non-linear. In the current experiments, liver and bladder DNA adducts were measured in female BALB/c mice fed several different concentrations of AAF for 28 days. The adduct concentrations were then compared to the previously reported incidences of neoplastic and preneoplastic lesions in these tissues. In initial experiments, mice were fed either 30 or 150 mg [ring-3H]AAF/kg diet for 21 days. Liver DNA adducts were identified by HPLC, which indicated the presence of one major adduct, N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-aminofluorene (dG-C8-AF). This adduct was also the major product detected by 32P-postlabeling in liver and bladder DNA from mice fed the same concentrations of AAF for 28 days. Radioimmunoassays, conducted with an antibody specific for dG-C8-AF, showed that steady-state concentrations of dG-C8-AF were obtained at 28 days of AAF feeding; thus, this time point was used to determine the relationship between the dose of AAF and the adduct levels. In mice fed nine concentrations of AAF (5-150 mg AAF/kg diet), the adduct concentrations after 28 days of feeding were linearly related to dose in both the liver and bladder, with the adduct concentration being approximately 3-fold greater in the bladder. These results indicate that a linear correlation exists between the hepatic concentration of dG-C8-AF and the liver tumor incidence. In the bladder however, a linear relationship was not observed, which suggests that additional tissue-specific factors, such as toxicity, are essential components for tumorigenesis in this tissue.