Coefficient induction of pepsinogen 1-decreased pyloric glands and gastric cancers in five different strains of rats treated with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine.

Sequential changes of numbers of pepsinogen 1 (Pg 1)-decreased pyloric glands (PDPG) detected by immunohistochemistry and of the incidence of gastric carcinomas were examined in five different strains of rats treated with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG;CAS:70-25-7). Male SD (Crj:CD), WKY (WKY/NCrj), Lewis (LEW/Crj), Wistar (Crj:Wistar) and F344 (F344/DuCrj) rats (40 per strain), were given drinking water containing 100 micrograms/ml MNNG for 30 weeks and then normal tap water, and were killed at week 10, 30 and 50 of the experiment. Adenocarcinomas of the glandular stomach were found in nine of 15 SD rats (60%), in eight of 12 WKY rats (67%), in eight of 15 Lewis rats (53%), in three of 13 Wistar rats (23%) and in one of 18 F344 rats (6%) at week 50. These incidences of carcinomas in SD, WKY and Lewis were significantly higher (P less than 0.01) than that in F344 rats. From week 10, the numbers of PDPG in SD, WKY and Lewis rats were significantly greater (P less than 0.01) than that in F344 rats. From week 30, the numbers of PDPG in Wistar rats were also significantly greater (P less than 0.05-0.01) than that of F344. The susceptibility of rats to induction of gastric carcinoma by MNNG correlated with the susceptibility to induction of PDPG by MNNG in each strain, suggesting that induction of PDPG is a preneoplastic change in chemical gastric carcinogenesis.