Inhibition by neurotensin of azaserine-induced carcinogenesis in rat pancreas.

The effect of neurotensin on pancreatic carcinogenesis induced by azaserine was investigated in Wistar rats. Rats were given weekly injections of 10 mg/kg body weight of azaserine for 25 weeks and 200 micrograms/kg body weight of neurotensin in depot form every other day for 62 weeks. Carcinogen-induced pancreatic lesions were examined by histochemical techniques, and were classified as ATPase-positive or ATPase-negative. In week 62, quantitative histological analysis showed that prolonged administration of neurotensin significantly reduced the volume (as percent of parenchyma) of ATPase-positive pancreatic lesions, which are closely correlated with the ultimate development of pancreatic cancer. Histologically, pancreatic adenocarcinomas occurred at a significantly lower rate in rats treated with neurotensin than in untreated rats. Administration of neurotensin also significantly decreased the labelling indices of carcinogen-induced pancreatic lesions, but not of the surrounding acinar cells. These findings indicate that neurotensin inhibits pancreatic carcinogenesis, and that this may be related to the reduction of ATPase-positive lesions and to the inhibition of cell proliferation in neoplastic lesions of the pancreas.