Dietary fructose enhances the development of atypical acinar cell nodules in the pancreas of rats pretreated with N-nitrosomorpholine.

Dietary influences on carcinogenesis have been shown in various tissues on the basis of epidemiological and experimental approaches. The present paper demonstrates that the oral application of fructose over long periods to rats previously treated with N-nitrosomorpholine increases the incidence of atypical acinar cell nodules (AACN) in the pancreas. Whereas an increase in AACN was statistically significant (P less than 0.005), no effect on ductule-like structures was detectable. AACN have been regarded as precursor lesions of the acinar cell carcinoma. Although the AACN observed frequently exhibited severe atypia and numerous mitotic figures, no clearcut evidence for malignancy could be detected under our experimental conditions.