title: Specificity of certain biochemical derangements in hepatocarcinogenesis.
abstract: Earlier work on acid-soluble nucleotides and other liver constituents as affected by azo-dye carcinogenesis has now been extended, with trial of ethionine (weakly carcinogenic) and of α-naphthylisothiocyanate (noncarcinogenic). The effects of ethionine feeding on whole-tissue nucleotide levels were not dramatic, and were generally dissimilar to those produced by azo-dye feeding. However a fall in some or all of the purine nucleotides can still be regarded as a feature of hepatocarcinogenesis.A fall in mitochondrial nucleotides, as previously found in azo-dye experiments, likewise occurs with ethionine feeding, but also with α-naphthylisothiocyanate. It is suggested that the latter warrants testing as a co-carcinogen. Unlike azo-dyes, ethionine is without adverse effect on the yield of protein in cytoplasmic particles and (in common with α-naphthylisothiocyanate) it raises the yield of RNA in the supernatant fraction.In liver from ethionine-fed rats and in ethionine-induced hepatomas, the activity of enzymes concerned in UMP synthesis showed a rise more striking than that found with azo-dyes.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000139:chemically induced*; D005001:Ethionine; D008099:Liver / Q000032:analysis; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced*; D051379:Mice; D009243:NAD / Q000032:analysis; D009249:NADP / Q000032:analysis; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000139:chemically induced; D009711:Nucleotides / Q000032:analysis*; D009929:Organ Size; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000032:analysis; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D012313:RNA / Q000032:analysis; D013861:Thiocyanates
chemical_list: D009711:Nucleotides; D011506:Proteins; D013861:Thiocyanates; D009243:NAD; D009249:NADP; D012313:RNA; D010088:Oxidoreductases; D005001:Ethionine