Prevention of 3,4-benzopyrene carcinogenesis in presence of putrescine.

The 3,4-Benzopyrene (3,4-BP) carcinogenesis can be postponed or even completely inhibited in the presence of Putrescine (P). A single s.c. injection of 2.52 mg 3,4-BP in 0.5 ml tricaprylin on female mice (NMRI-strains, 4--5 weeks old, 20--25 g of body weight) induced locally malignant tumors (sarcomas and carcinomas) up to 97% of the animals treated. (132 mice with tumors from 136 animals treated). Animals injected with 3,4-BP plus 10 mg putrescine showed a considerable reduction of tumor incidence. Only three from 38 mice treated developed tumors (8%). The prevention of tumor could not be further improved with higher putrescine amounts, for example 15 mg and 20 mg P. These concentrations were moreover toxic to the animals. Histologically, the tumors developed in the presence of putrescine were rather poor in malignant cells and mitoses were also rare, in contrast to the usual 3,4-BP tumors which were rich in polymorph cells and mitoses.