Expression of tumor-associated aldehyde dehydrogenase during rat hepatocarcinogenesis using the resistant hepatocyte model.

The resistant hepatocyte model was used to study expression of tumor-associated aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity during the course of rat hepatocarcinogenesis. The hepatic ALDH phenotype was determined at intervals over 280 days by histochemical analysis, total ALDH activity assays and gel electrophoresis, using propionaldehyde and NAD (P/NAD) to characterize normal liver ALDH activity or benzaldehyde and NADP (B/NADP) to determine tumor-associated ALDH activity. By total activity assays and gel electrophoresis, no significant changes in ALDH activity occurred until day 70. However, histochemical analysis clearly demonstrated changes in ALDH activity early in neoplastic development. Intense focal hepatocyte staining with P/NAD and/or B/NADP was first detectable at day 28. The number of P/NAD-positive foci increased until day 35 then declined until day 70. The number of B/NADP-positive foci also increased until day 35, but then remained relatively constant for the remainder of the experiment. GGT activity of serial sections indicated that early ALDH-positive lesions represent a small subpopulation (9%) of all GGT-positive foci. However, by day 168 a significant portion (80%) of persistent GGT-positive neoplastic nodules were also B/NADP-positive histochemically. In addition, virtually all hepatocellular carcinomas (96%) generated by this protocol possessed significantly elevated levels of tumor-associated ALDH by histochemical analysis, total ALDH activity and gel electrophoresis. These results indicate that early appearing ALDH-positive lesions may define one early subpopulation of all initiated cells that have a high probability of progressing to the ultimate neoplasm.