Lack of modification of rat hepatocarcinogenesis by fernane-type triterpenoids, isolated from a Euphorbia genus.

Inhibitors of topoisomerases, enzymes that produce an unusual type of DNA damage, are considered as antitumor agents. Recently it has been reported that the fernane-type triterpenoid EC-2 and its hydroxyl derivative, isolated from Euphorbia, are potent topoisomerase II inhibitors. In this study, the modifying effects of EC-2 and EC-4 on the development of putative preneoplastic lesions, glutathione S-transferase placental form (GST-P)-positive foci, in the liver of rats were investigated using a medium-term bioassay system. Fisher 344 male, 6-week-old rats were given a single intraperitoneal injection (200 mg/kg b.w.) of diethylnitrosamine or saline at the beginning of the experiment and subjected to 2/3 partial hepatectomy at the 3rd week. The test compounds were administered five times/week by i.g. gavage at a dose of 1 mg/kg b.w. from 2 to 8 weeks. Quantitation of the numbers and areas per cm(2) of induced GST-P positive foci did not demonstrated any significant differences among the groups and no variation in cell proliferation as indicated by 5-bromo- 2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling. Our results suggest that EC-2 and EC-4 have no modifying effects on rat hepatocarcinogenesis.