Organotropic effect of N-bis (2-hydroxypropyl)nitrosamine: production of lung and liver tumors by its oral administration in mice.

The organotropic effect of N-bis(2-hydroxypropyl)nitrosamine (DHPN) orally administered to mice was studied. The main targets for the carcinogenic effect of DHPN were the lung and liver, with tumors induced by doses greater than 100 ppm DHPN for 16 weeks. The highest incidence was seen in liver vascular tumors including hemangioma, hemangioendothelioma, and hemangioendothelial sarcoma in mice treated with 1,000 ppm DHPN. Lung tumors were alveolar adenoma and adenocarcinoma. No pancreatic tumors were found. The present results suggest that the carcinogenic response in mice to DHPN was similar to that in rats and guinea pigs but different from that in hamsters.