title: [Structure-activity relationships in experimental neuro-oncology (author's transl)].
abstract: Hitherto more than 40 neurotropic chemical carcinogens have been detected. In part, their structure differs considerably from each other. Structure-activity relationships have not been discovered so far within this group of carcinogens. However, those carcinogens whose presumed ultimate carcinogen is represented by an ethyl or methyl cation showed a stronger prenatal neuro-oncogenic effect of ethyl compounds than the analogous methyl compounds. Contrary to this, the methyl compounds exerted a higher neurotropic activity than the corresponding ethyl compounds in adult animals (table I). These findings were now examined by means of ethyl methanesulphonate (EMS) and methyl methanesulphonate (MMS) in pre- and postnatal experiments in rats. Surprisingly, we yielded opposite results. Neurogenic tumors were produced in 9.4% of the animals by prenatal application of EMS whereas following repeated postnatal EMS injections 82.1% of the rats developed neurogenic neoplasms (tables II, III). Further investigations should clarify whether EMS and MMS represent exceptional chemical carcinogens or whether there are other couples of neurotropic carcinogens that show an activity similar to the alkyl methanesulphonates.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002273:Carcinogens; D005020:Ethyl Methanesulfonate; D005260:Female; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D008741:Methyl Methanesulfonate; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000139:chemically induced; D009423:Nervous System Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced*; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D002273:Carcinogens; D005020:Ethyl Methanesulfonate; D008741:Methyl Methanesulfonate
vernacular_title: Struktur- Wirkungs-Beziehungen in der experimentellen Neuroonkologie.