Carcinogenicity of chrysazin in large intestine and liver of mice.

The carcinogenicity of chrysazin (1,8-dihydroxy-9,10-anthracenedione) was examined by dietary administration to C3H/HeN mice. All of the effective mice (17) which were given 0.2% chrysazin diet and which survived more than 500 days developed adenomatous hyperplasia with cystic glands of the cecum. Similar lesions were also seen in the colon of mice in this group. These intestinal lesions were not obtained in any effective mouse (19) of the control group. The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma of mice given chrysazin (4/17) was significantly higher than that of the controls (0/19). These results indicate that chrysazin is carcinogenic in mice as well as in rats. Some mechanistic aspects of the causation of these intestinal lesions and liver neoplasms are also discussed.