[Anti-carcinogenic and anti-promoting effects of retinoid R8605].

R8605 belongs to the third generation retinoid and was found during the systematic screening of cancer chemopreventive agents in our institute. Based on the theory of multistage carcinogenesis, the anti-carcinogenic and anti-promoting effects of R8605 as well as its possible anti-promoting mechanisms were studied. Experiments proved that R8605 (50 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg, i.g.) significantly inhibited the growth of skin papillomas induced by 7, 12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene and croton oil in mice and exhibited a potent anti-promoting action. In addition, R8605 (50 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg, i.g.) strongly inhibited the induction of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity of mouse skin epidermis by croton oil. At a dose of 100 mg/kg of R8605 (i.g.) croton oil-induced ear edema in mice was suppressed. These results suggest that the anti-promoting effect of R8605 might be associated with its anti-inflammatory action and its inhibitory effect on ODC activity.