Inhibition of azoxymethane-induced intestinal cancer by disulfiram.

Sprague--Dawley rats, both intact and colostomized animals, were given 24 weekly injections of azoxymethane. Rats were fed either Rat Purina Chow or the same diet plus 0.25% disulfiram. In the intact animals, disulfiram reduced tumors from an average of 6.3 to 0.95. The number of rats developing tumors was reduced from 100% to 60%. In colostomized animals, the reduction was from an average of 5.0 to 0.13. Marked inhibition occurred even in the defunctionalized colon. The results suggest that disulfiram blocks the metabolism of azoxymethane to methylazoxymethanol, and also that the inhibitor may act systemically.