Enhancement by the tricyclic antidepressant, desipramine, of experimental carcinogenesis in rat colon induced by azoxymethane.

The effects of the tricyclic antidepressant drug desipramine on the incidence, number and histology of colon tumors induced by azoxymethane (AOM), and on the serum norepinephrine (NE) concentration and the labeling index of colon mucosa were investigated in Wistar rats. Rats were treated s.c. with 7.4 mg AOM/kg body wt once a week for 10 weeks, and also s.c. with 10 mg desipramine hydrochloride (desipramine)/kg body weight until the end of the experiment. Treatment with desipramine significantly increased the incidence, but not the number, of colon tumors in week 35. However, it did not influence the location and the histological appearance of the colon tumors or the histological types of colon adenocarcinomas. Furthermore, it significantly increased the serum NE level and the labeling index of colon mucosa during and after AOM treatment. These findings indicate that desipramine enhanced the development of colon tumors and that its effect may be related to its effect in increasing proliferation of colon epithelial cells.