Inhibitory action of aminoglutethimide on DMBA-induced mammary carcinogenesis.

The present communication reports the inhibitory action of aminoglutethimide on 9,10-dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene (DMBA) induced mammary carcinogenesis in virgin female Holtzman rats. When 20 mg of DMBA is given to the rats and maintained on normal diet for 32 weeks, approximately 70% of the animals develop mammary tumors. When animals similarly treated with DMBA are put on diets containing 0.025%, 0.05%, and 0.1% of aminoglutethimide for 32 weeks, there is a decline in the number of tumor-bearing animals as well as in the number of tumors per tumor-bearing animal, especially at higher diet doses of the drug. This inhibitory action on the induction of mammary tumors by DMBA could be mainly due to the suppressive action of the drug on endocrine functions.