title: Agaricus blazei (Himematsutake) does not alter the development of rat diethylnitrosamine-initiated hepatic preneoplastic foci.
abstract: The modifying potential of crude extracts of the mushroom Agaricus blazei Murrill (Himematsutake) on the development and growth of glutathione S-transferase placental form (GST-P)-positive liver foci (liver preneoplastic lesion) was investigated in adult male Wistar rats. Six groups of animals were used. Groups 2 to 5 were given a single i.p. injection of 200 mg/kg b.w. of diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and groups 1 and 6 were treated with saline at the beginning of the experiment. After 2 weeks, animals of groups 3 to 6 were orally treated with three dose levels of aqueous extracts of the mushroom A. blazei (1.2, 5.6, 11.5, and 11.5 mg/ml of dry weight of solids) for 6 weeks. All animals were subjected to two-thirds partial hepatectomy at week 3 and sacrificed at week 8. Two hours before sacrifice, ten animals of each group were administered a single i.p injection of 100 mg/kg of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU). Apoptotic bodies and BrdU-positive hepatocyte nuclei were quantified in liver sections stained for hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) (eosinophilic foci) and simultaneously stained for GST-P expression (GST-P-positive foci), respectively. The 6-week treatment with A. blazei did not alter the development (number and size) of GST-P-positive foci and did not affect the growth kinetics of liver normal parenchyma or foci in DEN-initiated animals. Our results indicate that the treatment with aqueous extracts of the mushroom A. blazei during the post-initiation stage of rat liver carcinogenesis does not exert any protective effect against the development of GST-P-positive foci induced by DEN.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Biologia, UNESP, Botucatu, 18618-000, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luís Fernando
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Barbisan
authors.forename: Ana Lúcia Tozzi
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Spinardi-Barbisan
authors.forename: Eduardo Luís Trindade
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.forename: Daisy Maria Favero
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Salvadori
authors.forename: Lúcia Regina
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Augusto Ferreira
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: da Eira
authors.forename: João Lauro Viana
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: de Camargo
mesh_terms: D000364:Agaricus / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D001938:Brazil; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury; D004261:DNA Replication / Q000187:drug effects; D004052:Diethylnitrosamine; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000032:analysis; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000201:enzymology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008114:Liver Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000201:enzymology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000201:enzymology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D010936:Plant Extracts; D014867:Water; D004052:Diethylnitrosamine; D005982:Glutathione Transferase; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine