Oxidative stress as a modulating factor of pulmonary tumorigenesis in mice; comparative study on two different strains.

1. Glycerol treatment enhanced NADH- and NADPH-driven active oxygen formation and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in the lungs of ddY mice treated with 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4NQO). 2. A glycerol-associated effect on active oxygen formation and TBARS was not observed in the lungs of A/J mice treated with 4NQO. 3. The differences in the changes of active oxygen formation and TBARS by glycerol treatment between two strains was in agreement with the difference in the enhancing effect of glycerol on 4NQO-induced pulmonary tumorigenesis in mice. This indicates that the alteration in the levels of NADH- and NADPH-driven active oxygen formation and TBARS in the lungs could play a significant role in the enhancement of tumorigenesis associated with glycerol.