Effects of systemic indomethacin on photocarcinogenesis in hairless mice.

The effect of systemic treatment with the anti-inflammatory drug indomethacin on sun-induced skin carcinogenesis was examined in lightly pigmented hairless hr/hr C3H/Tif mice. Two groups of 20 mice were exposed to simulated solar ultraviolet radiation from one Phillips TL 12 and five Bellarium-S SA-1-12 tubes for 8 min/day, 4 days/week (daily dose was 12.6 kJ/m2, equivalent to 2.1 B-MED the basic minimal erythema dose). A mean dose of 1.8 mg kg-1 24 h-1 indomethacin was supplied to one of the two groups via the drinking water. The pharmacological treatment started on the first day of the trial and continued during the entire experiment. The time to first, second, and third tumour was significantly delayed in the group treated with indomethacin (P < 0.001). The mortality rate was higher in the indomethacin-treated group than in the group receiving no pharmacological treatment (P < 0.0005). Under the present conditions, our study suggests that indomethacin may be beneficial in protection against photocarcinogenesis.