Carcinogenesis by N2-[gamma-L(+)-glutamyl]-4-carboxyphenylhydrazine of Agaricus bisporus in mice.

N2-[gamma-L(+)-glutamyl]-4-carboxyphenylhydrazine (GCPH), an ingredient of the cultivated mushroom of commerce Agaricus bisporus (AB), was administered as 52 weekly intragastric instillations of 1.4 mg/g body weight to randomly bred Swiss mice. In comparison with the untreated controls, the subcutaneous tumor incidences rose from 0 to 26% in the males, while in the females the corresponding tumor incidences were 6 and 2%, respectively. Histopathologically the tumors were fibrosarcomas, fibromas and myxomas. The study is part of a long - range objective to reveal the biological effect of N-N-bond-containing hydrazines and related chemicals of AB.