Superoxide dismutase and catalase levels during estrogen-induced renal tumorigenesis, in renal tumors and their autonomous variants in the Syrian hamster.

Antioxidant enzyme levels were determined in kidneys during estrogen-induced cortical renal tumorigenesis in male Syrian hamsters. The activity of these enzymes in renal tumors were compared to those in the kidney cortex of untreated male castrated hamsters of different ages and in age-matched animals treated with diethylstilbestrol (DES) for varying periods. A transient increase in kidney Mn superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) and total SOD activity was seen after 1.5 and 3.1 months of DES treatment compared to untreated controls. However, after 4.4 months of DES exposure the activities of these antioxidant enzymes fell below untreated levels. The level of MnSOD and CuZnSOD was 3- to 10-fold lower compared to castrated male renal cortical values in DES-induced primary, serially transplanted and in autonomous renal tumour variants. Catalase activity declined steadily at 1.5 to 4.4 months of DES treatment. Low levels of catalase activity were found in all tumors examined. In general, Western blot analysis of immunoreactive proteins confirmed these findings, indicating that the low enzyme activities were due to low levels of enzyme proteins. Immunohistochemistry of the earliest tumor foci exhibited negligible antioxidant enzyme activity. The levels of these antioxidant enzymes were similar in all tumors surveyed, both primary and autonomous variants and in newborn kidneys, and they were about 10-fold lower than in normal kidney cortex or isolated proximal tubules.